


once upon a nightmare - l.s

by SwanWrites



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: A/B/O, Choking, Knife Play, M/M, Magic, Marking, Mental Breakdown, Mental Instability, Murder, Psychological Torture, Rough Sex, Smut, Top!Harry, Witch Curses, bottom!Louis, confusingashell, deep talks, dirty talking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-01-26 06:01:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 29
Words: 113,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12550760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwanWrites/pseuds/SwanWrites
Summary: A beast. A savior. A prophecy. And one adventure to break a curse.





	1. Toe Fungus and Witches

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Polski available: [Once Upon A Nightmare](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15871887) by [Kama28083](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kama28083/pseuds/Kama28083)



_**Once Upon a Time**_ , In a far way land they called Stellarum, there lived all types of creatures. Fairies, banshees, ogres, giants, wizard, witches, pixies, warlocks, cyclops', trolls, alphas, omegas, betas, sorcerers.

They will tell you now that these magical beings do not exist, that they are tales from a storybook. But I am here to tell you that is false. This book tells nothing more than the truth. The whole truth.

But of course there were the main hosts who ruled Stellarum were the humans. But the humans were flawed. The majority only cared for themselves, and were selfish. These beings would force these magical creatures into entertainment facilities to so end the rest of their lives. Omegas were kept as pets and alphas as hunting animals.

It was a living Tophet for these creatures, until the Alphas fought with their clever wit and strategies, assembling themselves together with the creatures. The creatures United and neglected their differences so they could accomplish the one thing they yearned,

Freedom.

A war broke out, led by the alphas. Every magical creature fought long and hard against the humans, until their guns and bombs couldn't do any harm against magic. Humans were severely punished, and looked down upon for the rest of what seemed like eternity.

For they are the most horrid beings that were ever created.

Now in power, all the creatures of Stellarum lived in peace and harmony, freely able to do as they please. Their trust was put in to the Alphas, and loyalty with it. But of course, the desire for power, wealth, and control overtook these hybrid wolves.

Greed was the poison of humanity, and anyone with a taste of power cannot help but to want a little taste.

A law was made and a monarchy was placed, with all royal officials because alphas. Magic was in in their clutches and the creatures were put in an area called the Enchanted Forest.

The Alphas kept their omegas to reside themselves with their omegas and betas in the Highlands, a section filled with luxury and golden ages.

Those who resisted the new order were left behind in the Lowlands, kept to be discarded from society as winds of fruit.

The greatest plague of Stellarum was the lust for power.

They had lived this way for millenniums, ruled by their king Desmond. Until one day, Desmond had a son, and his son would be the next heir to the throne.

Desmond was a cruel man, to his family and to the citizens of Stellarum, showing no mercy and his only wish was to bring fear in everyone and everything's eyes until they submit to his malicious empire.

But one night, on a cold December 24th, a witch came across to the kingdom, and commanded to see this king.

Little did Desmond know, this witch was unlike any other. She was an all powerful sorcerer.

The witch warned Desmond that if he does not stop his actions of greed and hatred, a great storm will arrive of fire, and his son, Harry, will be cursed for all eternity.

Desmond commanded the witch to be hanged from a tree that laid on the highest hill of all of Stellarum, for the people to see what would happen if they too ever threatened him or his power.

But the witch had written a prophecy for Desmond and his family. A prophecy that spoke of a savior, eyes as blue as the ocean, and a heart as sharp as a dagger.

The daggers in this savior will lift the fear that was brought upon Stellarum, and the creatures will once again unite as a whole, and tear this monarchy down.

Harry will have his father's essence inside him, ebony and thick, a solid version of evil. He will be a rose with thorns, always in a battle between good or bad.

But the savior, will either regain peace with Harry,

Or regain peace by burning Harry's heaven to the ground with blood and gasoline.

This is Louis Tomlinson's story,

And it begins with an adventure.

 

 

 _ **ONE**_ :  
Toe Fungus and Witches

 

_TEN YEARS AGO..._

**"LOUIS, SLOW DOWN!" T** he fair haired boy trudging through the soiled, thick stalks of grass groaned for what had seemed like the one billionth time. Stopping for quick inhales of air before his lanky legs tried to carry him once more.

"Oh would you please hurry up, Sam? I really want to reach the witch in time. The suns almost setting!" The shorter boy replied, his steps more jumpy, excited. Energy radiating off each hop from logs to fallen branches that have broken off from tall trees.

Sam moved his blond hair, which was matted to his forehead, to the other side and huffed as he continued walking towards the Enchanted Forest.

"I don't know about this Lou," Fair Haired bit down on his bottom pink lip, letting out a loud yelp! and clinging onto his friend's arm as a caterpillar squirms on his ankle. "Oh my god I think it bit me. I feel ill!"

"You are not going to catch the plague by this little guy!" Louis coos as he picks up the caterpillar

"L-Louis! P-put it down! Don't chase me with it!"

You see, no one from where Louis and Sam are from are allowed to go inside the Enchanted Forest, it was far too dangerous for omegas like them.

There lived all the magical creatures of Stellarum right in that wide woodland area. Mischievous elves that can shoot arrows made of pine cones and sticks, fairies that smell of peppermint, banshees that scream like the sky had fell to their shoulders.

The forest had separated the great land of Stellarum into two: Mergunts and Aliums. Mergunts were those who held no power to magic or positions of the kingdom, as the Aliums did.

Being an omega was considered degrading or demeaning. Just a bottle for the alpha's pleasure and child carriers. They held no Important role in society whatsoever.

The Mergunt omegas were treated very poorly. Very, very poorly. While the Alium's lived in the Highlands of Stellarum, where there was fresh water and fertile land for agriculture, the Mergunts were left in the Lowlands. Aliums consisted of great alphas, skillful betas. Mergunts consisted of pitiful humans, left behind omegas.

The kingdom that Stellarum had above showed no sign of pity for the Mergunts, none at all. They were just bags of flesh left to rot.

Louis was in love with the magical world, despite the obvious hatred that radiated towards his kind. He was always interested in the stories about Griffins and Phoenixes.

He loved to hear about the Unicorns and Ogres, he loved magical creatures. Some would find him strange, for liking such ugly creatures like Sasquatches and Black Dogs, but he loved every creature in every form.

Adventurous, brave, curious, and smart are the four words to describe Louis William Tomlinson.

"Louis, if your mother hears about this she will kill you!" Sam reminded, earning an eye roll. "And then my mum will beat me with a wooden spoon. Oh gosh, Lou, I don't want to be beaten with a wooden spoon!"

Louis flicked Sam on the head to pry the boy off his shirt, faking boredom with his best friend's dramatic act.

"But we aren't going to tell her, right Sam?" Louis smiled innocently, getting a shake of the head from Sam in return.

"No... I won't. But what if we get eaten? Or jinxed? Or boiled by leprechauns! Scrape the warts off of a goblin's back?!"

Louis laughed at his frightened friend, and then met up with his pace to hold his hand.

"There. Now nothing can hurt you." Louis stated while Sam gave him a weak smile, fear still alive in his large blue eyes.

"How can you be so sure?"

Louis tightened the grip of the pair's hands before saying with confidence, "Because I will never let the people I love down."

Sam teasingly poked Louis' side. "Ooooh, you love me."

Louis yet again rolled his strikingly bright eyes and swatted Sam's arm. "Shut up, your hand is clammy. Stop sweating so much."

Louis genuinely did love Sam, though. Sam and Louis were best friends ever since the day Louis stole a baby dragon from the Enchanted Forest and put it under Sam's shirt.

_("Hi, my name's Louis."_

_"H-hello... I-I'm Sa-Samuel..."_

_"Cool. Do you got any pockets on you, Samuel?"_

_"N-no?"_

_"Ugh, well, don't just stand there. Lift up your shirt so I can hide Wilbur here.")_

Ever since that day, it was Louis who had been getting Sam into trouble and Sam trying to hold Louis back from it.

Sam was a strange kid, according to Louis. He was always worried, always paranoid and anxious. If Louis and him are stuck in a situation Sam would be the one to dig their graves before coming up with a solution.

"I'd love you even more if you would hurry up. Look, I can see the entrance already!" Louis pointed out, causing Sam to groan.

And they were indeed there. The thick grass became thinner and thinner until it stopped altogether to reveal a ginormous forest. Towering trees stood tall and proud as brilliant green leaves were patched together. Wisps of pinks and blues illuminated the inside, which Louis guessed were fairies.

The sound of heavy water also came through, which made Sam and Louis' bellies both churn, aching for clean, cool water to run down their throats. The waterfall inside the forest truly was fresh and crystal clear.

Louis was ready to run inside, but the feeling of sweat covered his hand  and blood stopped rushing through his fingers. Sam was gripping his hand so tight that Louis wasn't even sure if his right hand even had circulating blood running.

"Why are you so nervous? You've got me, remember?" Louis scolded, but Sam shakingly lifted his left finger and answered with wide eyes.

"Tr-trolls."

Louis then looked up and gasped slightly, before groaning in frustration. There they were. Two large trolls who were stomping around and letting out deep moans of despair. Louis would never get to the witch in time if these trolls were going to pester him with their irrelevant riddles.

Trolls were the guardians of the Enchanted Forest. They made sure no Mergunts came in or out. Some could be three feet tall, others could be ten feet tall. Unfortunately, these were the ten feet tall ones.

To others, they were extremely ugly. Peeling green skin, crooked yellow teeth with bugs crawling between the spaces, bulging black eyes, and very large noses that had snot spouting out of their nostrils.

"Now what are we going to do, genius?!" Sam croaked out, feeling a pang of worry in his gut.

Louis really wished that he had brought his friend Daniel instead, because at least he would be of some help and source of comfort. Sam is probably already writing his will in his head and a eulogy with it too. Narcissistic is one way to describe the lad.

"Just.. Just follow my lead." Louis whispered back and headed towards the forest.

"Lou-louis! Come back here! Don't leave me! Ohh I should have listened to everyone back in the village when they said not to befriend you, Tomlinson!" Sam muttered the last part under his breath before following Louis.

Due to their abnormally large noses, the trolls sniffed Louis and Sam down in an instant. Their gigantic heads snapped towards the direction of the two boys and they licked their dry lips in hunger for flesh.

Their sharp teeth also showed off after they their mouths turned up into  a twisted smirk. Even Louis found beauty in them. The way that their skin chipped in perfect angles, and how their eyes glistened in the sunlight. He was awestruck.

"'Oo dare go by?" The first troll asks in a booming voice, which was deep and slow like rich honey.

The second troll looks down at Louis and Sam and picks up Sam, holding him close to his face and giving him a good sniff.

"I be smellin' a-- er-- Mergu't." He said, Sam squealing as his face became in contact with the zit-covered nose.

Louis knew he owed Sam, a lot. This was beyond his comfort zone, way beyond. Sam's face is going bright red and you can tell he's already thinking of 100 ways he could die right at this moment. His chest was puffed out as he was holding his breath whenever the troll gave out an exhale.

"Lo-Louis!" Sam exclaimed, begging for Louis to come up with a plan to get him down.

Louis knew he had to think fast before the trolls decide to roast Sam and him with a side of roasted carrots and turkey. If there are three things that Louis is an expert at are:

 _1\. Getting into trouble_  
_2\. Getting Sam into trouble_  
_3\. Magical Creatures_

Trolls may be very intimidating, but they are not the brightest of things at all. Their brains are the sizes of cherry pits, and their decision making skills are great either. Their also very gullible, making it questionable towards why they are the guards of anything really.

Louis' eyes flickered towards Sam and the trolls, then back to Sam and then back to the trolls. Louis then came up with a quick idea, not knowing weather it may work or not. He quickly retreated back to the tall grass where he and Sam had been walking in.

"Louis! You damp moth! Come back here and help- Louis!" Sam shouted before his voice got muffled since the ogre held the boy close to his face.

Louis was not ditching Sam. He was just trying to find a way to make himself look like an Alium. He quickly used some mud as gel to slick his hair back. Then he took off his shirt and ripped the left sleeve off to make it look like his right one. He then returned to the area and stood with his chest puffed out and head high, confident and fancy.

Just as the trolls took attention to him, Louis lifted up his hand and started spitting out orders.

"Put that lad down in the name of King Harry!"

And just with the simple mention of Harry, Sam was thrown to the ground in an instant.

Harry was the overall King of Stellarum. Louis has never seen him, along with the rest of the lowlands and half of the highlands. Only some of his workers in the palace had seen or heard from him.

All the King did was make some laws and take away rights from the humans. But he was deeply feared by most people because of the rumors and folktales that went around about him. And since the trolls were so gullible and naive, they believed the tales more than any one else in Stellarum.

Sam rushed by Louis' side and hid behind the small boy, wrapping his arms around Louis' waist because right now, Louis seemed like some sort of hero.

"Who're you?" The troll snarled but kept his distance from the boys.

"He be smellin' like a Me'gunt." The other one stated.

Louis knew he didn't mask his scent good enough, and he was beginning to grow quite nervous since he honestly had no idea what to say back.

"This is it. We're dead. Rest in peace Sam and Louis. I swear, when we're ghosts, I'm going to kill you again Louis Tomlinson." Sam muttered under his breath but Louis still heard it.

The trolls were still waiting for Louis to say something before they grabbed the two and put them into tonight's dinner broth. All Louis thought was that he had nothing to lose besides his life, so he might as well make the best of his final act.

"Mergunt? Me? Huh! The nerve of you two!" Louis exclaimed.

Sam squeezed Louis' hip before asking in a quiet whisper, "What are you doing?!"

Louis shrugged and flashed a quick, excited grin, "I don't really know. Just go with whatever I say."

Louis turned back to face the trolls his with nose flared and his eyebrows furrowed.

"I should be reporting the King about you pair. You two get your noses checked! This boy," Louis lifted Sam by the arm, "Is my brother, er," Louis looked at Sam's hair and eyes and then continued talking. "Blondanic Blue. Surely you have heard of him."

The two trolls exchanged glanced and turned back to Louis and shook their heads.

"Puh! Not only are you two nose blind you are also uncultured swines! Blondanic Blue is the King's favorite musical entertainer. Everyone in the highlands know that." Louis pushed Sam infront of him, letting the trolls get a good sight of him.

"Really now? T'en let us 'ear ya sing." The first troll requested, no demanded, earning a glare from Sam.

"Me- er- u-um- sing? I d-don't kno-know if I-" Sam stuttered, hoping for a miracle.

"Sure ya can sing for them Sam! You sang for the King and even the mermaids are jealous of his voice!" Louis proudly lied, Sam stepping on his foot in response.

"Well then! Come on now! Let us hear it!" The second troll encouraged.

Sam gave Louis a final look that screamed, 'I swear I'm going to cook you into rice cakes and feed you to the fish for bait.' Before turning to the trolls and trying his best to please them.

Louis knew that even if Sam was a terrible singer, it wouldn't be that bad because trolls also don't know the difference between good or bad, so they would clap even if Sam sounded like a fork scratching on a plate.

"U-um. This is a song I-I sing for th-the King. I ca-call it," Sam looked down at his feet and then back at the trolls. "Toe fungus."

"Toe fungus? Seriously?" Louis said to Sam with an amused smirk.

"I feel like my anxiety is ripping me another hole so just act like you like it, okay?" Sam told Louis back before clearing his throat and hoping for the best.

" _Ooooooh tooooe fungus, how you consume my tooooes. Making me cry as my insecurities floooows. My mother put ointment, on you last niiiight, but you didn't go awaaaayy, and now you leave me to cryyyyy. But I soon learned, that you are here to stayyyyyy, and that's okay, and that's okayyyyyyyy. Because now I knoooow, you are my friend foreveeeerrrr, toooooe funguuuus_." Sam sang, and Louis swears, he was red as a tomato trying to conceal his laughter that was about to spill out of his mouth.

Sam swatted Louis' arm and then they both looked up when they heard crying.

"T'at der 'ould be te best song I've 'ver 'eard in me entire life." The trolls cried as snot poured from his nose.

"I 'member when I 'ot toe 'ungus. Me mother 'ut ointment on it. Now she dead." The second troll cried as the first troll patted its back.

"I'm very sorry." Sam said with pity lingering in his voice.

"No, we're 'orry for keepin' you boys waitin'. You may enter." The trolls moved out of the way and allowed both Louis and Sam to pass into the forest.

"Thank you gentlemen, I'll remember to tell the King of your excellence. Now if you'll excuse us, Blondanic and I have a concert to attend." Then Louis latched his arm with Sam's as they rupiah into the forest before any other mishap occurs.

"Well," Louis said to Sam as they walked down an unfamiliar trail down the forest.

"Well, what?" Sam asked, shooting his head in different directions as he was alert for any monster or creature to jump out at them.

"Do you really have toe fungus?" Louis teased as Sam rolled his eyes and pushed him playfully.

"No, I don't have toe fungus. And don't go telling Daniel or Brendon that either. They wouldn't let me live another day if you told them that I just sang about having toe fungus."

"Which you do."

"Louis!"

"Alright, alright. If you're so sure...." Louis smiled and then his ears perked up when he saw a familiar looking plant.

"Ooh Sam, look at this!" Louis rushed over to it and Sam quickly followed him.

The plant, which looked like it was about to collapse since its thin stem was holding such thick leaves, was truly remarkable. It was as though someone painted the plant to perfection and used great detail.

"Wow, it's.. Beautiful." Sam breathed.

"Touch it." Louis simply said, looking at Sam with a wicked grin.

"What? No. Why? Is it going to explode in my-" Sam rambled but Louis quickly grabbed his pointer finger and forced Sam to lightly tap the leaves of the plant.

Sam let out a high pitched scream when the leaves turned out not to be leaves at all. Instead, swarms of butterflies flew out and some of them slapped across the faces of the boys.

"Hah! You should have seen your face!" Louis laughed as Sam turned red and angry.

"That was not funny, Louis! Don't do that to me!" Sam pouted, causing Louis to smile a little since Sam looked adorable when he pouted.

"Okay, okay, no more tricks. Let's just look for the witch's tent and then I promise we'll leave." Louis and Sam got up and continued their walk.

"So let me ask you a question now, Lou." Sam said, receiving. Louis' full attention.

"Hm?"

"How did you come up with the whole King Harry scene so quickly? How can you think so fast under so much pressure?" Sam queried at once.

Louis nudged Sam with his hip before giving a lopsided smile. "Everyone fears the King, Sam. Even trolls."

It wasn't odd that it was quiet in the forest. The forest was simply just a border line that separated the low landers from the high landers. The forest is home to many creatures that you can't find roaming around the low or highlands. This fascinated Louis a lot. Because he was a believer that all animals somehow could understand him and knew him personally.

He knew this sounded weird, but Louis truly loved the magical creatures. We never he touched them, they reacted in such a way that could be taken as a greeting. He loved the way they looked at him with their shiny eyes, filled with curiosity and mischievous like himself. And their beauty was just breath taking.

The way they looked was truly extraordinary. Whether it be fur, skin, or even scales, there was beauty in the animal according to Louis. Adventure was held in every creature of Stellarum, and it was up to Louis to unlock and live that adventure that each creature held.

"Sam, watch your step here, I think there- Sam? Sam!" Louis noticed that his best friend was absent. Where could he honestly have gone? The boy had the anxiety level of a lone wolf.

"Lo-Louis! Get these things off of me!" Sam's voice shouted from Louis' left. And it was a quite funny scene if you ask him.

Sam was sitting down while a unicorn chewed his dirty blond hair. Sam's cheeks were flushed and Louis could see him struggling to get up because the unicorn's horn threatened to jab anyone who dared to bother it.

 

"Louuuu! He-help." Sam whined, but Louis just chuckled and shrugged, rushing over to him.

Unicorns were not the friendliest of creatures out there. They would not hesitate to stab the absolute crap out of you if you bother or handle them in a way they don't like. Louis carefully put his hand on they unicorns back, brushing its long, white hair back with his fingers.

The animal let out a small noise that let Louis know that it was okay to continue his actions. Carefully, the animal let go of Sam's hair and buried its face into Louis' neck.

"How do you do that?" Sam whispered in awe.

Louis raised an eyebrow at him. "Do what?"

Sam made a gesture with his hand and pointed at the unicorn's affection towards Louis.

"That. All these creatures love you or something." Sam accused.

"What can I say? I'm a lovable person. Don't you love me?" Louis asked teasingly, causing Sam's cheeks to heat up.

"I'd love you if you would hurry up and find the witch so we can go home." Sam dodged the question, earning a nod from Louis.

"I actually have a faster way we could get there." Louis said, Sam crossed his arms in response.

"Really, how?"

Louis' eyes flickered to the Unicorn which was now licking his hand. Sam quickly caught on and immediately shook his head and backed away.

"Oooh no. No. No. No. No. No. You know how your plans with animals always cause havoc. Let's just continue to walk- Louis!" Louis already mounted onto the horned beauty, cutting off Sam.

"Have it your way, love. I'll be heading to the witch while you'll walk for hours just to get halfway there." Louis dramatically announced.

Sam hesitated for a moment, as though he was choosing wheat her head should live or die. Then he sagged his back and let out a breath of frustration, giving in and taking Louis' hand to climb up the unicorn.

Louis smiled at the contact and smiled even more when Sam's hands snaked around his waist.

"One of these days I'm going to have to stop putting my life in danger to please you." Sam huffed but blushed when he realized how close they were.

"Well, looks like today's not one of these days." Louis smiled and then they were off.

The sound of the Unicorn's contact with the ground was pleasing to Louis. He could feel the heartbeat of the animal below him, going fast and pumping adrenaline throughout. The feeling of the cool hair slapping his skin felt refreshing like a clean glass of water that came rarely.

Above them were balls of light, which tiny fairies radiated whenever they flew. The whole entire forest had some sort of beat to it. It was like this piece of land could take Louis anywhere he wanted, to a whole new world, even.

When they slowed down near the wet rocks, it gave Louis a chance to study the small organisms that also lived along the moist areas. He knew that dragons raised their babies here, since it was a perfect place for the little fire breathers. Life was filling the forest, and Louis never wanted to be a part of something more.

Then Louis spotted the place he had intended to see in the first place. The witch's hut. If you were only just a normal Mergunt, wandering around the forest with no intent to explore, you would have never found the witch.

She knows how to hide, very, very well. At first, you would only see a waterfall. Just a clean waterfall from where you could have a drink or a sip of water and continue your journey across the trees. But what's inside the water fall is what is special and magical.

Louis guided the unicorn towards the rushing water and just hoped that the witch was inside. 

The water was thin and almost transparent, But since the sunlight didn't hit the inside of it, you couldn't even see if there really was a witch's hut in there. They quickly rushed inside of it, of course getting just a tad wet along the way.

Louis dismounted from the Unicorn and held out his hand for Sam to climb down as well. The door to the witch's place didn't seem very secure at all, it actually looked like it was about to fall down from stress at any minute. Spider webs were twiddled in the corners and a foul smell was defiantly not tantalizing them at all.

"I don't want to go in there! It looks filthy." Sam scrunched his nose.

"You sang a song about your toe fungus and basically kissed a troll, I think you can survive some dust. And besides, you can wash in the fresh water after we're done." Louis told him, waiting not a second more and pushing the door open with his foot.

They entered it, and noticed a fire burning in the middle of the house. Odd things like dead dogs hung from the ceiling, causing Louis to widen his eyes and Sam to shriek.

Loud snoring came from the corner of the room, and there laid the witch. You would expect her to have a giant spears in the bridge of her nose, or to have long silver hair and bulging eyes, but no. The witch was quite beautiful to the least.

Her hair was kinky, and very large. Her dark skin glowed like the sun, that could make any fair maiden jealous. She had full lips, painted a perfect shade of red that went with her chocolate eyes. She was a goddess.

"I think she's asleep." Louis whispered to Sam, not wanting to wake her.

Sam nodded but then, due to his clumsiness, bumped into a rotting dog corpse and let out a sharp shriek, causing the witch to jolt awake.

The witch cursed and shouted at the pair to leave her home, but for some reason, Louis wasn't scared at all, he was excited. He was actually talking to a real witch! He put on an intimidating voice and face,marrying his best to reason with her.

"We know what you are, and we're not going till you tell us our fortune." He stubbornly demanded.

"Unless you want us to leave because we'll leav-" Sam started but then Louis pinched at his arm.

"And if I don't?" The witch smiled wickedly, causing Sam's stomach to stir.

"Then we have angry dragons at home, waiting for a meal. And I think we just found a perfect one." Louis lied, but did it with confidence.

The witch just laughed and shook her head. "Sit down, little Louis and Sam. I will tell you your fortunes."

Louis beamed at her and Sam gasped slightly in fear, she knew their names.

"How do you know our names? Did you read our minds? Our eyes? Our hearts?" Louis asked in curiosity.

"No, I just heard this one screaming it from two feet away." The witch pointed at Sam, who blushed a deep red.

"But, I did predict that you two were coming. The smell of wonder and trouble filled my senses." She confirmed, before handing a knife to Louis.

Louis looked at her with confusion, but she cleared it up quickly.

"Draw blood from both of your hands. I need it to see."

Louis nodded right away and didn't hesitate to make a gash in his hand, staining the knife with vermillion liquid. Sam on the other hand, was very hesitant. Louis rolled his eyes and bricks his finger with the tip, still hearing a scream coming from the boy.

Louis handed the knife back to the witch and ripped some of his shirt off to wrap the sound he had just created.

The witch brought the knife to her lips, before opening her mouth and licking the fluid from the blade. Sam cringed while Louis looked in awe, his eyes glued to the beautiful women infront of him.

The witch's brown eyes then turned into a brilliant blue, matching Louis' exact color. Her beautiful dark skin was now pale and lifeless, exactly like Louis. Her full lips turned into a thin pink line, and nose a sharp pointed one. Her whole entire body morphed into Louis' exact shape.

Then she started screaming.

"He's got me! He's going to kill me! Help! A beast!" Her neck then was shown with deep claw marks. "His demons are taking over his heart, the venom is going to drown me!"

Louis, for the first time, was frightened. There the witch was, an older version of him. Spitting out black venom from her mouth, screaming as though she's being killed slowly and shackled to the ground.

Sam hid his face in Louis hair, not daring to look.

Then the witch stopped altogether and morphed into something new. Sam.

It was terrible.

The sound of older Sam sobbing and sobbing. His face was wet wand glossy with endless tears coming out of his blue eyes. It was as though he had lost something valuable to him and his grief was going to kill him before anyone else could.

Louis stood up and wrapped his arms around Sam.

"Stop!" Louis shouted at the witch, instantly everything came to an end. But the witch did not return back to normal.

She stood up as well and made her way to the pair of boy and looked at Louis right in the eyes. A brilliant red color with specks of vibrant green stared him down, angry but soft at the same time. Her teeth turned sharp and horns protruded from her head.

"I love you." Was all that cam from her mouth before she returned to her normal figure.

It was quiet after that. Sam was shaking in fear as Louis held onto him, not letting him go for a second. The witch also was breathing heavily, as though she had experienced all the years that Sam and Louis will be going through in the future. Her forehead was matted with sweat and her cheeks were flustered.

All that was going through Louis' head right now we're the colors of red and green. How can eyes be so harsh and violent, but at the same time so soft and peaceful?

The witches eyes, on the other hand, were wide, and she kept twitching her head to get rid of the memories and events that she had just unfortunately saw. She shot a pitiful look at the boys and shook her head.

"I am sorry. So sorry." Was all she whispered and Louis nodded, because what else could he do?

Sam just clung onto Louis like a koala bear, not letting go for a single second or moment. They stood there for what seemed like hours, before Louis was knocked back into reality when he heard the sharp 'neigh' from the unicorn waiting outside.

"W-we should go." Louis said finally to Sam.

The witch just looked at Louis and he saw a spark of empathy radiating from beneath her. Her thick hair was scattered across her checks, framing her face into a square shape. And her head kept shaking every now and then.

Louis just nodded and took Sam's hand before heading off.

"Louis," The witch finally spat out, captivating the young boy.

"Y-yes?" He answered back in his high voice.

"Always see the beauty in things like you do. Always." Was all she said before returning into a daze.

Louis nodded once more and mounted onto the horned horse once more, waiting for Sam's arms to wrap around his waist once more.

"L-Lou?" Sam whispered even though there was no one listening.

"Yeah, love?" Louis replied, his mind not fully there.

"Do me a favor and stay out of trouble?" He pleaded, fear clinging onto his voice.

Louis smiled weakly and said back, "Do me a favor and help me stay out of it."

And with that said, the boys were off. The only thing left to do was wait for destiny to make its move.  
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	2. Blood and Naked Fairies

**_HARRY DOES NOT REMEMBER._** He doesn't remember why he was in the bathroom naked with Violet bruises littered on his skin. Or why his fingers were coated with dry blood and his throat. He tries to recall why there are piles and piles of pills scattered on the floor, and why he was holding some in a fist.

Harry certainly does not know why his tears are mixed in his mouth with the lingering taste of strong alcohol that was his drinkable poison. An iron-copper like taste also comes to his mouth, fresh and still wet. Harry recognizes it almost at once as blood, licking the fluid to make sure.

He wonders why the grim reaper isn't over his head, ready to collect what is left of him, because right now it feels as though he is completely empty.

Empty.

A lack of heaviness and the weight of artificial pleasure is absent within him. The soberness of his mind drives him insane. It isn't that he can't handle being in control of his own self, it's just that he isn't used to this feeling at all. Because as long as Harry could remember, or the only thing he could actually remember, was that he wasn't alone.

Loneliness.

That's one thing Harry never had, never wanted.

The deficiency of contact and physical along with emotional connection made him mad, made him very forlorn. Harry would take anything. A punch, a kick, a kiss, a hug, a conversation, a broken heart, a bullet, an arrow, anything to just know that there was someone who cared enough to give him something. To make him feel something.

The gelid feeling of the unpigmented bathroom tiles bit at Harry's exposed skin.

Skin.

Harry quickly jolted up, knocking down his sepia bottle of whisky, shattering it to millions of tiny pieces, pricking at the tall man's pale feet. Even though damask rose colored shots of blood was pooling from him, he didn't care. Because this wasn't him. This wasn't him.

Harry's eyes immediately came in contact with the immense mirror which was attached against the vast wall of the bathroom. He saw the red scratches that were caused by long claw marks on his neck, causing him to understand why there was a burning sensation whenever he swallowed.

His nose was also poring out crisp blood, along with his mouth, this time in the sink instead of the bathroom tiles or his uncovered skin. Harry quickly opened the faucet and let the lukewarm water wash away some of the mess that his body had made, staining the marble sink.

Then Harry saw his eyes.

Green. Why were they green? They shouldn't be green. Whatever had happened last night, it took it out. Harry needed it back in. He couldn't handle the loneliness, he couldn't handle the silence. The silence of his mind would kill him before he could kill himself.

No. Harry can't, won't, isn't going to face the silence. Ever. He needed it. It never let Harry hear the ringing of quiet. It never let Harry be alone. It was with Harry forever, always helping him scream and fill his world with noise.

Harry knew that he probably took out it for a reason last night. Harry knew that he shouldn't even think about putting it back into his mind again. Harry knew. But Harry couldn't care less at this moment, all he needed was the guidance, the feeling of being full, the feeling of being in control again.

Harry needed his drug.

The lanky man's colorless hands twitched and shook as he reached down for the golden doorknob of the bathroom, trying their hardest to twist the handle and step out. The broken glass of the whisky bottle still stung the thick skin of his heel, but that didn't bother Harry at all. He was numb without his drug.

The king's legs wobbled and could retain their balance, causing him to fall down a couple times on his knees before getting up again to only fair again and land harder this time. He was weak. Weak without it.

Desperate, Harry continued to move with a pitiful crawl towards the dressing table that was placed at the end of the room. He didn't care how idiotic or despicable he looked right now, all he needed was something else to occupy his body before he loses it completely.

When his knees turned into a deep, fleshy pink color and started to burn, Harry had finally reached to his destination. There was only one object that was placed on the wooden table, a small box. It had no color to it expect a plain ivory. There was a small gem on the top, which was an emerald that gleamed in all its brilliance. There was not much else to it really, except the strange writing on the front that read in cursive,

'Male Consolatoriam Domi'.

Harry reached for the box, using all the power in his legs, and then dropped down as soon as he got a hold of it. For a long moment, he didn't do anything with it expect stare. The man's fingers, which were covered in dried blood, traced over the carved letters and sleek design. The box fit right into the palm of his hand, giving Harry a perfect hold.

Taking a deep breath in, Harry felt a pang of fear and anxiety run through his head, reminding him that he was thinking.

Thinking.

Harry didn't want to think. He didn't want to feel thoughts, because sooner or later those thoughts would morph into memories. And Harry knew he couldn't let memories slip through his mind, because they would completely end him.

Without a second left to spare, Harry pressed the emerald that was placed on top of the minuscule-like case. On the right side of his neck, a sharp ripping and burn began to take place, leaving him in great pain. It was as though someone had just taken a lit cigarette butt and crushed it onto his skin.

"A-ah!" Harry groaned in deep pain, his thumb not leaving the emerald, instead pressing harder onto it.

"Fuck!" His voice roared, as the burning and ripping sensation turned into an open wound, leaving a deep gash on his once clean neck.

Harry took deep breaths, trying to ignore the agony and discomfort that he was experiencing mercilessly. But the torture took over him, resulting him to throw the bijou box against his velvet colored wall.

Too caught up in his own distress, Harry didn't even notice that the box had shattered open, even though the material wasn't even something that could be as fragile and easy to break. The box had fallen onto the white rug, and black venom was oozing out of it like pahoehoe lava, smooth and slow. Then all at once it started to get thicker and thicker, each drop layering one on top of the other.

Soon the whole pile of ebony ink joined into a giant lump and Harry snapped out of his torture and widened his eyes in a mix of horror and relief. The lump became rounder and large white spots popped out in contrast, acting as eyes and a mouth.

It was it, it was him.

It had some sort of glutinous arms sticking out of the small pool of sable hydrous. Some ivory, razor sharp teeth soon formed into place and a wicked smirk covering the outside. The sun gleaming through the window shades illuminated its icy stare directly at Harry. Its voice croaked out a raspy and amused.

"Harry... What a pleasure." Its voice was haunting, sending chills down all over the older man's back, goosebumps painted all over his arms.

Harry took in a shaky breath and didn't waste a single moment. He was already seeing flashing images and voices in his head playing already. His hands reached over to his ears and the. Up to his scalps,pulling at the chocolate curls. He couldn't handle them. He couldn't handle this.

"Make it stop.... make them stop..." Harry mouthed, tears streaming down his face.

"I-I need you back. I-I need you back," Harry put his pointer finger to his temple, "here."

It smiled at Harry and its snake-like tongue flicked out and back into its mouth.

"Open wide." Was all it said before it launched itself in the wound that the emerald had burned through in Harry's neck. The parasite quickly moved quickly and enveloped Harry deep inside of it's abnormal body.

Harry could feel his heart racing. Blood was circulating faster, and his arms and legs felt ten times stronger than they had ever did before. The familiar feeling of power took over him, fulfilling his longing for the addiction quickly.

His milky white skin was replaced by thick, dark, brown hairs. Harry screamed loudly in pain when horns protruded from the top of his head, curving. Harry looked down at his nails and noticed how they weren't bitten and crooked, instead there was long, black claws growing at a rapid pace and the same went to his fang like teeth. Adrenaline pumped and Harry just felt alive and powerful.

With pupils dilated, the green eyes he once had turned a vibrant red, and so did the emerald which was laying down on the hardwood flooring of Harry's bedroom, no longer on the broken box.

"Did you miss me?" It said with humor lacing in it's voice.

Harry looked up at the dressing table mirror and gave it a smirk when he saw the dominant and intimidating animal he had become.

"More than anything in the world."

—

YOU WOULD EXPECT life in the lowlands to be better, that it couldn't have possibly have gotten worse than it already was. But that is only and expectation. This is reality.

There were now cyclops', who were enchanted to murder any Mergunt who dared to step out of their place. Cyclops' are very large creatures, their massive frame overpowering an oak tree. Omegas had somewhat of an advantage, though. Since alphas still needed to mate with them, omegas were given more bread, cheese, and milk than the humans ever were.

Of course, if you were a kind omega like Johanna Tomlinson, you would share your extra bread, cheese, and milk.

The kingdom, which was run by the notorious King Styles, only gave the human and omega Mergunts more labor positions that gives just enough pay to feed families at least a full meal a day. It was easy to say no one was quite fond of him.

There weren't many human Mergunts left, half of them died from the wars and plenty of more from hunger or disease. Thanks to new herbal medicines and smart, non magical engineers, disease wasn't a huge problem as it was. Disease used to lerk from corner to corner, the sounds of deadly coughs and thunderous sneezes used to fill the air of the lowlands. Now just the grumbles of empty stomachs and faint laughter of children does the job.

Of course, the Mergunts were not planning to be treated this way forever. Who would? There were plenty of ideas that flourished around the lowlands to overthrow the Aliums.

It wasn't going to be easy at all. Everyone knew that. The Aliums had potions, spells, alphas, magic, and deadly weapons. If the Mergunts wanted to over throw them, they would have to do it very carefully and with a lot of thought. That's when the plan to steal the magic came into play.

"That is mad! Ludicrous! Insane! One hundred percent bizarre!" Abdu Blank, the eldest and most respected Mergunt, had said once the idea was brought up at the meeting that was held every Friday at noon.

"But sir!" Akinyi, a strong member of the resistance, protested. "This could actually work! We must give it a chance!"

"Are you out of your mind, woman?!" Abdu cried, his blue vein popping out of his forehead. "What if we get caught? They'll use our bones as wands!"

"Who would want your old bones? They'd probably turn to dust before it casts a spell!" A large man with a dark beard said in the back, causing the whole group of Mergunts to burst into great laughter.

"Why I oughta!" Abdu stood up but a warm, small hand was placed on his shoulder that calmed him, or anyone, down in an Instant.

"Now, Abdu. You know what doctor Asan said, no stress. Here, take some milk." Jay Tomlinson smiled at the man and handed him a cup made from tree bark and metal.

"Some doctor he is.... Didn't even go to medical school.." Abdu mumbled but took the cup without further argument.

"Jay! Tell me, Louis is seventeen, and the Choosing Ceremony demands all omegas to gather and be picked like objects by dirty alphas. Would you as a mother want this?" Akinyi asked, earning murmurs of agreement and curiosity's from the crowd around them.

Jay only smiled weakly and tucked a loose piece of hair behind her tan ear.

"Omegas and alphas were made to mate with each other. It's only nature." She responded quietly, earning a groan from Akinyi.

"Yes, I know it's nature but not like this! Where's the consent? Where is the part where both parties agree? If an alpha likes an omega, they pick them up and you never hear from the omega again." Akinyi argues back.

Jay says nothing but a, "That's just how things are."

"But it doesn't have to be! We could fight back!" Akinyi insisted, earning a snort from the crowd.

"How original. The helpless mergunts, with no military or fighting experience whatsoever, save the day. No one is complaining but you Akinyi, so give it and boil the milk." Fin, an older boy said from the back of the crowd.

Akinyi gave him a quick "fuck off" before returning her focus on Jay.

"But you know how alphas are! Just look at what Mark did to Louis-" Jay snapped her head back an looked at Akinyi with a glare that could have melted her into a pond right there.

The crowd grew silent, no one talks about Jay's ex husband. No one. Especially not his relationship with Louis.

"Alright Mother Teresa, that's enough with you." A man with raven hair interrupted, causing the tension into the air to disintegrate.

"But Brendon, listen to her! Tell her she's being unreasonable!" Akinyi yelled, pointing a finger to Jay.

"Mrs. Tomlinson, you are," Brendon started but Jay gave him a raised brow. "just a beautiful woman who doesn't look a day over twenty one."

Akinyi rolls her eyes and stomps away, the crowd scatters back to their huts and fires as well.

"Well, isn't she just a pocket full of sunshine." Brendon laughed and Jay gave him a light slap on the arm.

"She's just upset with how the way things are. But the sooner she realizes that this system is meant to stay, the sooner she'll get over it." Jay spoke, causing Brendon to sigh.

"She's right though, isn't she?" he said silently.

Jay's blue eyes met with the man's brown ones, having a conversation without moving their lips. Both of them knew what he meant. Both of them knew this was terrifying.

Jay looked the other way, away from his gaze, quick to change the subject.

"Where's Louis and Sam? I didn't see them at the meeting?" She asked worriedly, slapping herself mentally for not noticing sooner. The pair were there just a moment ago at home.

Brendon widened his eyes and then laughed nervously.

"Nooooo idea.... Haha.." His voice was high and let Jay know he was lying. He knew exactly where they were and what they were doing.

"Brendon. Where are my babies? Louis never misses meetings. He and Sam wouldn't miss Lottie's birthday dinner either." Jay asked with a threatening voice, worry lingering.

Brendon just threw an arm around Jay and gave a fake laugh. "I'm sure they're fine. Those kids are the most responsible and innocent boys I know."   
-

"LOUIS YOU BASTARD! TELL THEM TO LET GO OF ME!" Sam yelled as he was lifted into the hair by a group of nude fairies.

Louis quickly was running towards the small village that the fairies lived in, carrying as much pumpkin flavored bread as he could, and lightly placing it into the sack he made with his old loincloth.

"Just one more minute, Sam!" Louis called back, continuing with his actions while Sam was littered with red lipstick lips.

"In one more minute I might be a father!" Sam yelled angrily, which was half true, his clothes were stripped away and body being peppered with small licks and kisses.

Louis turned around a looked at Sam with a smile threatening to grow, but he knew that if he doesn't hurry up, the fairies will take him as their own.

Fairies are very odd creatures. It doesn't matter whether they are male or female, if they are ever in contact with someone who they think is attractive physically,they will take them as a trophy.

"Such pretty hair!" One fairy squeaked in his small voice.

"Such strong teeth!" Another one squealed.

"But what's wrong with his toes?" One said, making Sam flush and Louis erupt in laughter.

"They spotted your toe fungus!" Louis shouted, causing all the fairies to look at each other and drop Sam all at once.

"Ewww" they screamed in unison before scattering into the forest in different directions, Sam's face was beating red.

"I have never been more humiliated in my entire existence." Sam stated before getting up and wiping off the dirt on his cape.

Louis grinned before giving Sam a kiss on the cheek, "Don't be dramatic Sammy. There were many more times where you looked like a fool. Come along now."

Sam blushed and reached up to the cheek where Louis kissed him, smiling like an idiot.

Louis looked back, "Come now, we don't want the fairies coming back and wondering where all their pumpkin bread went."

Sam rushed by Louis' side before whispering, "You're mum is going to kill us once she finds out that we're in the Forest again."

Louis wraps a hand around Sam's waist, "But I know you're not going to tell her. You love me too much to do that."

Sam felt his face grow hot again before flicking the omega next to him on the forehead. "Wanker."

Louis giggled, causing Sam's heart to flutter, and mounted ontop of the Pegasus he tied around the large tree of the Forest once they've walked a good twenty feet.

A Pegasus was a creature like a horse, but had wings and a fierce attitude. One wrong move with one could very well mean your life.

"Lo-Louis, do we have to fly on this thing?!" Sam whined, earning an eye roll from Louis.

"Ten years later and you're still afraid of these creatures. Just hop on, you know I wouldn't let you fall." Louis promises, hanging his hand down to pull Sam up onto the Snow White feathers of the Pegasus.

Sam snaked his arms around the smaller boy's waist, wondering how an omega was so much braver than a poor alpha like himself. Sam was the only alpha in the whole Lowlands. Partly because of his cowardly character, and partly because of his lack of alpha abilities. It never bothered anyone. Sam was as harmless as a dead leaf.

"So how exactly do you ride this thing?" Sam asked curiously.

Louis shrugged and untied the rope that was holding the Pegasus down, "I haven't got a clue."

Sam widened his blue eyes, "You don't know? What do you mean you don't know?! How are you going to fly it?!"

Louis looked back at Sam with that famous wild smile that he wore whenever he's going to do something absolutely bizarre.

"Like what the books said." And with that being stated, Louis' omega nails pinched the Pegasus' bum, causing to roar with and, and fly off into the sky, over the Forest. Louis used the rope to make some sort of a steering for the animal, and it, fortunately, worked.

"LOUIS, YOU HORRID CREATURE, HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!" Sam screamed, automatically feeling nauseous once the wind hit his face, his skin flapping.

"This way the cyclops' won't find us!" Louis yelled, laughing as he steered the Pegasus in the direction of home.

Everything could be seen up here, the castle, the highlands, the lowlands, villages, people, trolls, ogres, and even the lake monsters that loved deep inside the swamps. Louis was in pure awe while Sam was in pure shock, clenching his eyes shut and arms around Louis so tight that Louis felt like he was wearing a corset.

Louis looked down and found the similar looking huts and fires, telling him that he needed to fly a little more left and land down. Both of the boys' stomachs dropped when Louis dropped the Pegasus down in a fast motion, Sam yelping a little in response.

"Remind me to stay home next time you suggest to go out for a 'walk'." Sam whispered in Louis' ear, out of breathe when he heard the Pegasus landing sharply onto the grass.

"Note taken." Louis chuckled, but his laughs were cut off once the Pegasus shook the males off its back, and flew away before any more damage would be done.

Both of the boys groaned in pain, Sam muttering a "fucking cunt" as we stood up and rubbed his throbbing head. Louis soon got up after him and smiled crookedly.

"We should head back, I want to see Lottie's face when I tell her that I brung her favorite type of bread for her birthday." Louis said quickly, grabbing Sam's hand and running towards their village.

If only they knew what was waiting for them once they reached their destination.  
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	3. Traitors and Invitations

"KING HARRY, I BEG OF YOU, JUST GIVE ME A SECOND CHANCE!" The pitiful man cried into his hands, on his knees and head hung down.

Harry sat still on his throne, his face expressionless, heart filled with no empathy whatsoever. His long fingernails tracing the rose patterns that were engraved onto their golden handles. Each stroke made a rough sound, paint chipping in response to the roughness.

Harry stared down at the man below him with disgust and malevolence. The violent stroking sound came to an end when Harry looked staring across that the man.

"Rowan Ming, birth name. Or 'Ro', as everyone in town calls you. 'Kind civilian' as the kingdom calls you. The amount of faces you have, it's almost tiring me." Harry says, no sound of remorse in his voice.

The king got up from the silky, cushion seat. Stepped down the three steps that separated the royal from the despicable man below him. Harry kneeled in front of the man, reaching out and tipping Rowan's chin upwards, making both of the men connect eyes.

"But you know what your identity is to me? A traitor. You have slayed five cyclops', and saved seven Mergunts. Freed them. Am I correct?" Harry asked, but it came out as a deadly command, because both of them knew Harry just wanted to hear the confession leave Rowan's lips.

It was silent. Rowan forced his cafe eyes away from Harry's intense vermillion ones, but failed once Harry dug his fingernails deep into the traitor's chin, drawing blood.

"U-Ugh!" Rowan almost screamed as Harry dug his Alpha fingernail into his skin, twisting it and pulling it out, licking the blood that surrounded the tip.

"Answer me, Rowan." Harry commanded once again, his eyes throwing daggers.

"Y-yes." The man finally gave in, but Harry shook his head. His nails drifting across Rowan's cheek, caressing it almost, giving him goosebumps. But Rowan knew, one wrong move meant that those nails would peel his face off in an instant.

"Yes what, Ro?" Harry mocked softly.

It was terrifying. The whole experience. The king's voice and tone was calm, almost soothing. The warmth that radiated off of Harry was comforting. But once you looked into his eyes, oh dear god, his eyes. It was as though they were the color of Rowan's blood, the blood that was waiting to be shed in a short while. It terrified the traitor deep inside.

"Yes, I murdered the kingdom Cyclops' and freed the Mergunts from their clutches." Rowan said, regretting it instantly. But it wasn't like his regret was going to do him any good.

Harry shook his head, displeased and put a hand on Rowan's shoulder.

"I put those cyclops' there as guards, you know that Rowan, right?" Harry asked, but wasn't looking for an answer as he continued. "But now look what you have done, killed my guards. Killed what is mine. And you know I don't like when others touch my things."

Rowan let out a choked whimper as Harry's grip got tighter and tighter with every word spat. A weak "please forgive me" came out as a pitiful whisper from Rowan's mouth.

Harry hummed in response, placing his hand down to the man's heart, making a 'tsk' sound.

"Why so nervous, Rowan? Do I make you nervous?" Harry asked, mockingly. And this was pure torture. Harry was humiliating the man, teasing him with his life.

Rowan gulped, shaking, sweat running down his forehead and chestnut hair clinging onto the glands as though it was glue. His whole body was shaking violently, causing Harry to smirk with triumph.

Harry loved this feeling. The feeling of fear in his hands. You could never actually feel an emotion physically, only mentally. But Harry never liked that. He only felt satisfied or fulfilled once the emotion was puddy in his hands.

"Pl-please my King, please... Spare me." He whispered quickly, hot tears forming in the inner corners of his eyes and threatening to fall. It was appalling to cry in front of the King, but it was even more appalling when the king is the reason for your crying.

"Spare you?" Harry let out a thundering laugh, causing Rowan to flinch in response. "Now that won't bring back my Cyclops', and that certainly wouldn't bring back the runaway Mergunts."

"I have a wife, my king," Rowan pleaded. "She's pregnant with our first child. I cant.. I'm going to be a father. Please my king... For my family..."

Family.

A simple word that made Harry release Rowan from his hands. A simple word that made Harry fall back. A simple word that made Harry scream and shut his eyes all too quickly. His red eyes burned once he did so and then it, happened all at once.

Flashes of a woman with brown hair and a sweet voice started playing in his head. She was wearing a thick shawl and rocking back and forth. A blonde little girl was next to her, looking down and smiling. The room was a bright blue, the wall decorated with wooden dolls and paintings of flowers.

The woman started singing a soft melody, and the little girl next to her mouthed the words.

"Go to sleep, my little Harry, and all will be well. The boogyman is locked in a little cell. The stars are shining and the moon is playing, but it's time for the sun to be going to bed. He says he'll see you tomorrow, but for now, go to sleep, his little friend." She sings, and it all sounds too familiar.

It felt soothing and untangled the tight knot in his heart, Harry felt enlightened.

But then the second hot flash came.

It was in the same room. But it was on fire. The woman with the brown hair had black, beady eyes and the little girl was screaming loudly and her head had an open wound, oozing black blood.

The woman was still rocking back and forth, beaming. But her voice was deep, demonic. It sounded possessed.

The same melody she was singing before came into play, but the words were twisted horridly and her tune didn't sound as it did last time. The lyrics were rushed and spat across. Her neck had a slit inside, venom was pouring out quickly like pahoehoe lava.

"Wake up, Harry! We're not all well! The demons have escaped their cells! Harry! Wake up! WAKE UP!" The woman scream and shook, smiling wickedly.

The door in front of the room was knocking and the doorknob was shaking violently. The little girl continued her screaming and the woman's head was snapped back, against the wall, lifeless.

"Don't open it! Don't open it!" The banshee of a little girl shouted at it, while the ebony smoke of the fire devoured the blue room.

"Shut up!" Harry screamed, trying to breathe. "Just shut up!"

But the screaming continued and the hard pounding of the door continued. Ash-covered blood that was still oozing from the woman's slit throat was flooding the floors, and the wooden dolls on the walls were shaking and howling all at once.

There was no silence. And this why Harry feared it the most. Because once there was silence, something, anything, needed to fill it up. These memories especially.

The door finally bursted open, causing the screaming of the girl to stop and drop onto the floor like a rag doll. The rattling of the wooden ornaments on the wall had stopped as well, but the fire continued to burn on.

A black, sluggish creature slithered like a snake up to Harry's feet. It was like slime, and started to climb up the man. It makes a wet, slapping sound every time it gradually makes its way up to Harry's neck. As much as Harry tries to move, to scream, to do something, nothing happens. He just stays still and let's the creature do what it wants.

"Harry.." It whispers in his ear, it's voice raspy and weak.

"I can make this all go away. I can make you forget... Just say words.." Then Harry recognizes the creature. It.

All of a sudden Harry managed to open his mouth to form words.

"Go on."

And then everything stopped. Harry wasn't in the burning blue room anymore, it was his palace. He noticed how heavy he was breathing and how sweat trickled down his temples. Harry was shaking heavily, and his head feels as though it's heavy and full.

But he doesn't remember what caused all this.

Rowan was still sitting in front of him, too shocked by the King's outburst and too afraid by it to say anything. His bones shook, though, when Harry yelled out to his guards and they barged into the room they both were in.

"Take this man to the dungeon. I want you to break every bone in his body. I want shock therapy to be given out as well. Then, I want you to send him back to his village, disabled. We'll see how well he'll kill our Cyclops' now." Harry spat, and dismissed all of them with a wave of his hand.

"No! No! You are sick! Mental! Just wait for karma to hit you! Just wait!" Rowan's voice trailed off as the guards carried him by his arms, before the oversized doors closed again and left Harry alone.

"That got way out of hand..." It told Harry when the king got up from the floor and went towards his throne once again.

"Very.." Harry said back to It, sitting down and wiping the sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his silk robe. He breathed heavily and shut his eyes immediately.

"You better get it together, old friend, we have an omega choosing ceremony to attend soon." It laughed before consuming Harry's mind.

Once again.

—

"LOUIS WILLIAM TOMLIMSON, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Jay shouted at her son once he and Sam came inside the hut.

"Thats the thing, Mrs. Tomlinson, Louis doesn't think." Sam answered in response, earning the kick of the shin from Louis.

"Do you have no worry for your life?!" Jay scolds Louis, earning a shrug from her son In return.

"We were only getting some bread from fairies. What's the worst they could do? Sprinkle me in sugar and lick it off of me?" Louis snorted, earning a glare from his mother.

"You could have got caught by trolls! Or ogres. Oh my goodness, please tell me you didn't touch any strange plant?!" Jay gasped.

Sam shrugged, "Not this time."

Louis face palmed, why, oh why did he have to befriend Sam.

Jay turned red with anger, "You risked your lives more than once?!"

Louis nudged Sam with his elbow, "Nice going, genius."

Sam mouthed a 'sorry' before trying to cover up his mistake. "In Louis' defense, he studies magical creatures from his books so he did know what to do the majority of the time, like when we were dealing with that witch, he knew what to say and how to handle the situation.." Sam rambled.

"Sam, please shut up." Louis whispered.

But Sam kept going on and on, "And that time Louis got a unicorn without being stabbed by the horn! He's really responsible and smart, really."

"Sam, for the love of Stellarum, please, shut up."

Louis made a mental note to find a new best friend.

Mrs. Tomlinson looked as though she was about to explode with anger, worry, and betrayal.

"So you're telling me, Sam, that you and Louis have been going in and out of this forest for a while now?" Jay asked him gently.

Louis was praying to about five gods at once that Sam lies.

"Hmm.. Well the first time we went was when we were about ten, and we're both 17 now.. So if my math is correct we've been going three times every year since ten, so actually, we went to the forest not a couple of times, but almost over thirty times now." Sam smiled, and gave Louis a thumbs up, as though he didn't just kill both of them.

Jay turned to Louis and widens her eyes as though she just heard that her son has been convicted of murder.

Louis quietly help up his sack and gave her a small smile, and in a weak voice said, "I got pumpkin bread for Lottie, If it makes this situation any better?" Jay put her hands on her hips. "No? I didn't think so."

Jay opened her mouth to scold both of the boys, but, like a savior, Brendon comes in rushing and is out of breath.

There were noises outside of horses galloping away, and everyone gasping in surprise. Brendon made eye contact with Louis for a minute, shooting him a look of sorrow. Before turning to Jay and telling her the news they missed.

"The-the palace officials just came here.. They said that annual Mate Ceremony is taking place tomorrow in the Highlands' castle. All new omegas who have had their heat should meet at the castle in their finest attire at noon." Brendon says as he hands the card invitation to Jay.

Sam looked at Louis with wide eyes. "The ceremony is too early this year, isn't it?"

Louis was just frozen in place, not knowing what to say or do. Any alpha, besides Sam, was a swine to him.

Jay looked at the card and bit her lip, her heart filling with pity and concern for Louis. They both new their history with alphas was scarring, scary, and terrible.

"Louis, you're going to be getting your alpha tomorrow..." Sam whispered quietly, though everyone heard him clearly.

Louis had three choices:

1\. He could kill Sam to release his anger and, now, sadness.  
2\. He could hug Sam because of his sadness.  
3\. He could think of his infamous Tommo Plans to get him out of this situation immediately.

He chose the third one.

Unexpectedly for Sam, Louis turned to him, gave him one of his mischievous smile, and whispered when Brendon and Jay weren't looking into his ear,

"Not if I do something about it."  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
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.


	4. Wands and Secrets

  
"SAM, SAM, WAKE UP YOU MUSHROOM!" Louis whisper shouted, rolling his eyes when Sam mumbled a 'no more fungus jokes' in his sleep, shifting his blanket to cover his face.

Louis looked around them, and saw that his mother and sisters were still asleep, he silently thanked the heavens that they were all heavy sleepers. Sighing out a breathe of relief, Louis snapped his head back to Sam and ripped the blanked off of the taller teen, causing him to whine a small protest, before accepting the fact that Louis was going to get him up no matter what.

"Lou-eee," Sam stretched out, getting up into a sitting position and stretching his arms out and smacking his lips a tad. The sun isn't even up yet. What is it now?"

Louis almost cooed at his adorable looking friend. Sam was the only alpha in the world Louis would ever be close with. Sam was rejected by the Highlands, and even his family when he grew up. His lack of young alpha characteristics (strong, confident, bold) and his emotion side made him shunned away, banishing the boy to the Lowlands.

It was fucked up. The whole thing. When Sam first came to the Lowlands, he was lost. No other omega, human, or poor beta family wanted the lad. Alphas were hated here. Sam had severe anxiety, and his shyness didn't help with the situation at all. Louis' mum put Sam under her wing, and Louis thought of himself as Sam's bodyguard ever since then.

Louis' hatred for the highland alphas only grew after that situation. To him, emotional feelings are natural and valid for anyone to have, including alphas. Stereotypes are dangerous. Once you don't fit yours, you think of yourself as an outsider. You think of you self as a waste of space, and that's what had happened to Sam.

Sleepless nights that were filled with loud sobs and short 'what's wrong with me?' sentences. Sam's anxiety turned into a self couscous mess. The fear of rejection consuming him.

Louis gave out a scoff, "Do you not know what day it is?"

Sam furrowed his dark blond eyebrows, pondering for a while in deep thought. "Independence Day? No, no, that's near winter.." He mumbled the last part. And went back to his facial expression as it was before.

Louis flicked his head.

"It's Mating Ceremony day, you bafoon. I'm going to get my.." Louis gulped and his eyes filled with disgust as he though he might throw up, "Alpha."

Sam's lips tightened in a straight line, knowingly.

"Lou...." He whispered gently, placing a comforting hand on Louis' back, rubbing it up and down in messy, straight lines.

Louis didn't only hate Alphas because of their egos. He hates them because of his experience an alpha in his life. Let's just say, he wasn't always a Lowlander.

Louis shook his head and got up, holding out a hand for Sam to take. Louis looked around the tent one more time, before whispering in Sam's ear, "And that's why we're going to go steal a wand."

Sam suddenly froze and then smiled nervously, "Sorry, say that again, because I thought I just heard you say you were going to steal a wand."

Louis mumbled, "We. I said we are going to steal a wand."

Sam widened his eyes, "What?! Louis William Tomlinson are you-"

Louis mentally face palmed before smacking a hand onto Sam's mouth. His mother shifted in her deer-skin mattress, before going back to her slumber.

"Whisper, will you?" Sam licked Louis' hand that was placed on his lips to keep him quite. Louis quickly removed it, mumbling a quite "pig" before wiping it on his shawl.

"What do you mean we're going to steal a wand? Have you lost your goddamn mind?" Sam quietly stated this type, eyes drowsy from his raw sleep.

"Or are you sick?" Sam used the back of his left hand to place it on Louis' forehead and made a small oh sound. "You feel fine, maybe you're in heat-"

"Shut up you boneless chicken and listen to me." Louis' face flushed.

Louis reached into the pouch that was ripped into the itchy shawl, and pulled out a dry scroll, handing it to Sam.

"This is the map of the shortcut to the castle from the Forest." Louis explained.

Sam raised a brow, "What does this have to do with anything?"

Louis scoffed at his clueless friend who isn't able to put the puzzle together.

"I stole this from a small beta tribe last-" Louis says but gets cut off by Sam's groan.

"Is there anything you haven't stole?"

Louis shushes him, "That's besides the point."

Sam shrugs, "No, no, I think that's going to leave a very deep cut in your future so it should be the --"

"Sam." Louis whines, wanting his friend to stop stalling and staying away from the subject.

"Sorry, sorry, continue."

Louis rolls his eyes before starting his story over again, "I found a small tribe of Lowland betas when I was fetching water from the south stream. I heard them gathering and talking, so I hid behind a bush. The chief was planning a way to break into the castle."

"Oh, so there are crazy people out there like you." Sam snorted, Louis slapping his arm in return before going on.

"He wanted to break into the dungeon and free his lost tribe members who were imprisoned. He's a great navigator, he knows every corner of the Forest," Louis says, gesturing to the map's detail. "As you can see. He even got every Creature habitat down." Louis pointed out.

"But there were flaws to the chief's plan. He said it would be impossible to exit without being caught, or enter." And it was Sam's turn to scoff.

"Then he's probably right, Louis. If this map was truly made by him, he knows what he's talking about. I mean, look at this detail of the castle. It even has the inside interior." Sam breathed out in astonishment, clearly amazed.

Louis shook his head. "But I looked more into it, and the beta tribe were fearful of the magical creatures, so they won't use them to their privilege. But we aren't."

"Still don't know why there even is a we in this situation..." Sam mumbled, earning a knock on the head by Louis.

"I'd you and I go into the forest, and go here," Louis points to the map that's illustrates the Pixies' Domun, or the section Pixies are known to live in, which is Floribus, or the large piece of land in the forest that is devoured by flowers of all kind.

Floribus receives the most sunlight in all of the Forest, and pixies just so happen to get their energy from sunlight. So it's no surprise that they decided to build their own small civilization in that tiny land. They loved in mushroom houses and a large tree that provided them greater shelter for lightning storms or protection from the Highland hunters.

Pixies are very fragile and minuscule creatures. They're all queer women who reproduce by, well, magic. Whenever a rare, violet rose emerges from the earth and blooms, a small pixie is born in the center. Which is the reason why pixies revolve around the sunlight so much. They feed off of it, pray to it like it was some sort of God.

 

Louis takes out an old painting that was from a golden age before alphas took over Stellarum and developed the Low/Hugh lands. The painting depicts ancient Floribus. This painting could be used as a reference for when they needed to find the difficult location.

 

But pixies, were infamously known to be troublesome.

"Louis, fairies, I could handle. They were nice, even. But pixies?! Why would you even want to go anywhere near them." Sam shivered the last part, goosebumps appearing onto his skin.

"Because, smart one, the pixies have wands. And even better, the Wand of Iris." The omega says, leaving the alpha infront of him furrowing his brows.

"Wand of Iris?" Sam asks.

"--Which is a wand that isn't your standard one, it doesn't have a limit to the amount of power you extract. So you can cast any spell you want, despite the intensity." Louis explains, leaving Sam even more confused but slightly frightened.

"But what type of spell are we talking about here?"

Louis smiled in fond, Sam had said we, which confirmed that he was a part of the operation as well. "The Time Freeze spell."

"Louis..." Sam says in that deep, concerned voice of his.

"I know it sounds totally bizarre, but this spell is the answer. Propaganda spreads around, making these creatures sound more scary than they are. But that's just what the Highlanders want us to think, so we don't unite."

"What are you implying?"

"I'm saying that since you and me have been in and out of that damn Forest, and we both know the truth about how similar we are to these creatures. We could be the ones that aren't afraid and don't give into propaganda and finally put a stop to this forced ceremony crap." Louis rambles, who would like like a total lunatic to others if they saw him speak right now.

"Lou, some things are just meant to be like they are." Sam bites his lip, wanting to swallow back his words.

Louis looked at him, his blue eyes filling with anger. "How could you, of all people, say that?!" He almost shouted, but reminded himself mentally that they were still in the tent with his family.

Louis mumbles a 'I can't believe you' before carefully exiting the shelter and stepping into darkness. It looked like five hours till sunrise.

Sam mentally slapped himself and followed after Louis, wincing when his bare feet hit the cold dew of the grass.

"Louis wait, Louis." Sam silently called after him, not wanting to wake up anyone else near.

"Louis, please, I didn't mean it like that. Louis!" Sam violently whispered with angst, watching how his short friend moved so quickly with such a short pair of legs.

And all of a sudden, Louis stopped moving and turned back with a fierce look painted on his face, his eyes still holding that bright flame of determination. He stomped closer to Sam, until only three inches of space separated them apart.

"Tell me, didn't it hurt when you were kicked out of the Highlands?" Louis asked, anger lacing in his tone.

"Wh-what?" Sam said small-like.

"Didn't it hurt when your own family, disowned you, with King Styles' permission and all of the castles. Just because you showed emotion? Just because you showed characteristics that everyone should show in order to be fucking normal?" Louis spat.

"I-I don't.." Sam's words got choked up in his throat.

"You don't what? You don't know how it felt? Your cries at night say otherwise. You and I both know that those shits sit at home, eating more than three meals a day, with their silk clothes, and decent home. Forgetting that they even had a son who could have been dead. Don't you ever fucking tell me that that's how things are supposed to be. No one deserved that Sam, no one." Louis continues.

Sam felt his face getting hot with sadness and eyes threatening to spill tears.

"My dad abandoning my mum because she kept producing Omegas and refused to sell them as servants for the king, so he and his fellow lords could use them as sex slaves and entertainers isn't how things are supposed to be." Louis gulps, watching how Sam let out a shaky sob when he brought that up.

Lottie should be going to school, not churning butter. Phoebe and Daisy should be kids who have a decent childhood, not making dolls out of twigs. Fizzy should be able to open a bakery she always wanted to, not making fake cakes of mud and grass. And I... I shouldn't have to spend the rest of my life with bruises on my bum for trying because mum couldn't have any more children.... So don't ever tell me that's the way of life, because it fucking isn't." Louis finished, leaving out the rest of his story.

Sam closed the gap between them and pulled Louis in for a tight hug, his tear coated eyelashes, stroking onto Louis' neck.

"I'm s-s-sorry, I'm s-so sorry." Sam takes in a shaky breathe and lets it out, wiping his eyes before talking again, more clearly.                   

"I wasn't thinking, I'm just so damn scared all the time. I don't know what's wrong with m-me."

"Nothing is wrong with you Sam--"

"Louis, there is."

"Sam..."

"Louis, no." Sam let out a forced laugh, "there is. I'm not normal. I have so many issues that a normal alpha doesn't. But.. But that doesn't mean I don't deserve all the things a normal alpha has. Food, shoes, a family. You're right. This system.. This system that they built, is fucked up."

Louis gives him a sad smile, but let's his friend continue.

"I shouldn't have to stay up all night, wondering why I wasn't enough. No one should. Omegas are child bearers for fucks sake, why don't they get better treatment? Humans are slaughtered but they have dreams and ambitions like the rest of us. Poverty stricken betas shouldn't be blamed for being lazy, the monarchy should for ignoring their pleads. I don't know why I said this is the way things should be... Whatever you're doing and stand for is completely right and valid." Sam finishes, giving Louis a comforting smile.

Louis holds Sam's hand, rubbing circles with his thumb around Sam's knuckles. "That's why we need the wand, Sam. I learned a strip spell. The Postestatem spell. I can strip their powers, we just need the wand. All these creatures are brainwashed, mentally enslaved by the alphas into thinking that they're the good guys. If I cast this spell, we could liberate everyone and everything. These creatures aren't the enemies, the Monarchy system is."

Louis takes out the scroll once again and points to the castle's highest point, "After we steal Iris' wand, we'll sneak into this secret passage way, because if we fly there we'll be spotted by the guarding Seekers, since no magic affects them. The chief shows that there's a tunnel under the Swamp Mermaid's.. Swamp.." Louis doesn't dare to look Sam in the eye once he mentions a Swamp Mermaid.

A Swam Mermaid was the exact opposite of a mermaid. Hair made of waste, skin green and slimy, teeth a rotten yellow color, and her lust for everything clean. God knows what lies in her swamp, and know one wants to find out.

"The tunnel leads to the castles dungeon. We'll zap our way to the top of the castle, and cast the spell so it will go throughout all of Highlands. Then, we will finally be free." Louis finishes, looking up into Sam's eyes and finding an unreadable expression.

"We could die."

"Yes."

"Tortured,"

"Yep."

"Threatened."

"Right,"

"Enslaved,"

"You're on a roll."

"This is insane, Louis Tomlinson, there's a million ways this could go wrong."

"There are also a million ways this could go right. We either die, continue to live in hell, or emancipate ourselves. But the question is, are you in?" Louis puts the scroll back into his pouch, and gets ready to take off. He holds out a hand.

Sam purses his lips, and looks over his choices.

1\. Run, run the hell away from this maniac in front of him.   
2\. Say goodbye to Louis, and preparing his funeral.  
3\. Take his hand and put his life on the line.

The alpha looked up and mentally cursed at whoever was above. And then looked back at his ill friend.

Sam took his hand.

"One of these days I'm going to stop following you." Sam groaned as they both started running towards the direction of the Forest.

"Don't be a narcissist, we have a monarchy to overthrow!" Louis laughs, and they continue their journey,

To freedom,

Or to doom.

But right now, it all didn't matter.

.  
.  
.  
.  
.


	5. Cancer and Musical Riddles

TO SAY HARRY IS NOSTALGIC WOULD DEFINITELY BE AN Understatement.

He was filled with it.

The sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past. That was what Harry felt all the time. Nostalgia filled his heart. It was heavy, frustrating him at times when he realized he could just go back in time, and run away from the life he was living. He has done that one too many times.

Children.

Children bring about his nostalgia.

It's like a slap to the face. Every time he would look outside the large stained glass, observing the land he is on, a child would come into view. Their laughs, their mischievous ways, and their eyes filled with innocence and ignorance. Ignorant to the selfish world, and ignorant to the pain.

Ignorance, in some cases, is a privilege, Harry noted.

Sometimes you're better off if you don't know.

Don't know about greed. Or lust, or evil.

Sometimes, you should just be a child.

Children have one thing that many lack or find a hard time recognizing,

Love.

It doesn't matter how someone looks, or how ugly someone's past is. Children have hearts that hold more love than one hundred gold buckets could do.

Children radiate more love than the sun.

Children are the sun.

But sometimes the sun causes cancer.

Burns. Wounds. Flesh exposure.

And that's exactly what Harry is left with. An open wound full of the exact desire he wished he never was exposed to. A wound that was full of want. Harry wanted children.

It's a funny thing, really.

Because Harry could easily sleep with any omega he wanted, consent or no consent. But it just wasn't the same. It wasn't real. It wasn't love.

Love.

Something that Harry can't remember.

He's quite good at that. Forgetting.

Having a child of his own, made from love, consent, and trust would be something else. Something different. Something extraordinary. Something.... Something real.

But he was disgusting. Repulsive. Hideous. Inside, and out.

If his face didn't scare them away, his past would.

After all, no one can love a beast.

No one can love a monster.

No one can love him.

And does Harry blame them? No.

Reckless, distant, horrifying, intimidating, too much.

That's all Harry was. Too much. If he ever came out of his glass cage, he would just spill like water. Spill everywhere and flood every inch of space that someone kept open to breathe, and soon drown them with his troubles, demons, and secrets. It will all be too much, he is too much.

Having children of his own, having a mate that he loved, having a...

No.

Harry could never.

It is impossible.

But is it so wrong to imagine? To dream? Harry's thoughts do drift off to a fantasy world, where he wasn't who he is, and he had someone who he loved right next to him.

Caring.

Understanding.

Trustful.

And, most important of all,

Accepting.

Alas, these were only wishes. No one in Stellarum could love him.

-

"LOUIS, DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING?" Sam asks the boy whose eyebrows were furrowed in confusion.

Louis nods before moving in a complete 360°, and then looks up from the map in his small hands, groans in frustration, then veers a shaper turn that was definitely off course.

"No.. I mean yeah, but I don't understand this long 'Z' that the tribe wrote in ink.." Louis responds, turning the map upside down, as though it will help.

Sam rested his head on Louis' shoulder, getting a better angle at the map as the two boys stopped and glared at the large, worn out parchment in front of them.

"Hmm.. Maybe it stands for something, like Zigzag." Louis suggested, earning an eye role from Sam.

"If you're bringing about the idea that we walk in a zigzag in banned forest that holds who knows what, just so maybe, just maybe, we find something, you're out of your goddamn mind," Sam said, looking at Louis with a stern look to make sure the boy knows he's serious.

Louis lets out a sigh before circling around a thinner tree, blue eyes still glued to the fading map in front of him.

After a small silence, Louis let out an excited yelp.

Sam turned his head to look at him, "What?"

Louis shook his head in pure glee and slight relief, before tracing the 'long Z' with his pointer finger.

".. The Z isn't just a word. It's a symbol!"

Sam nodded as though he had a clue what Louis was trying to bring about, but continued to listen to Louis' small explanation.

"I didn't acknowledge the small three dots on the side. I thought those were supposed to depict trees. But it all makes sense now..."

Sam looked at Louis, with his mouth slightly agape.

"Yeaaaah, still don't know where you're going with this." Sam shrugs.

Louis gives him a bored expression.

"What? We all don't study what different Z's mean in ancient tribal language. Some of us have lives."

Louis snorted, "Plucking nipple hair is not what I call a 'life'."

Sam flushed pink, "I do not pluck my nipple hair."

Louis pulled an amused face, "I never said yours. But thank you for confirming it,"

Sam opened his mouth but closed it, not wanting to push the subject any further. Louis took that as a victory before continuing with his conclusion.

"The Z is actually a whole word or phrase that they use for important magical creatures. This one translates roughly to 'Tricky Song'... But what creature relates to a tricky song? It makes no sense." Louis' voice trailed off, as though he was in a trance of deep thought.

"A zombie? That has a Z." Sam suggested, Louis let out a laugh.

"A zombie? In the Forest? Those things expired years ago." Louis said in a tone that makes Sam want to slap himself for being so foolish.

"Well they have a Z in their name so I just assumed..." Sam shrugs.

Louis shakes his head, "it's doesn't really matter what letter their names begin with, it mostly matters about their characteristics that match up with what the symbol is trying to phrase to, in this case, we need to find a creature that relates to a tricky song.."

Sam nods, in understanding, and starts to think but quickly gets distracted once he sees a flash of sparkling, white light.

Sam looked across from them and pointed out a trail of large, rectangular pieces of wood, that were packed together as though they resembled a thick line.

"Was that there before?" Sam asked, but instantly regretted it because Louis' head shot up from the map and let out an excited squeal, smacking a kiss on Sam's cheek.

"It's a bridge, Sam!" Louis shouts with joy, and grabs the other boy's hand, pulling both of them towards it.

"No offense, Louis, but a usual bridge is a structure that is above ground and guides others across an obstacle. This is just cut wood on grass." Sam pointed out.

Louis hopped onto the piece of wood, and Sam did the same to another piece. Both of them sat in place and in silence, Louis continued smiling with teeth while Sam was praying to whoever is above that they don't die today.

Louis smiled, "But this isn't a usual bridge, Sam. Just wait for it."

Sam flickered his eyes around the Forest, "Wait for what?"

"It."

"It what?"

"Sh, you're going to scare it away."

"How can I scare it away when I don't even know what it is!?" Sam exclaimed, Louis raised an eyebrow in disappointment.

"You really need to fix your sentence structure."

Sam groaned, "Louis, we are not doing this right now. Let's just get up and continue- HOLY SHIT!"

All of a sudden, the pieces of wood conjoined instead of being thickly spaced out, and that caused Louis and Sam to bump bodies fast, causing both of them to groan in pain. But the worst had just begun.

The connected piece suddenly floated up, and shook violently.

"Hold onto the sides!" Louis shouted for the croaking of wood, and that's exactly what the two did. They both grabbed the sharp sides of wood and tried not to fall once the floating bridge flipped two times, finally returning to its original side.

The piece hovered over the grass, before a large chunk of earth suddenly made an earthquake-like sound, and even the motion felt like one. The earth rumbled and fought against the excessive shakes that kept crashing inside, trying to put up a strong civil war with itself, but quickly lost once a final, furious shake caused it to snap open, mud oozing out as though it were a false wound.

"Here it comes.." Louis says, breathless but still holding the same amount of enthusiasm he had before.

Sam felt like hitting the boy, but the amount of shock he was in right now wouldn't allow him to even spit out a curse word. Only a small, whine-like noise.

"Here it comes..." Louis repeated through his teeth, even more excited than before, if that's even possible.

Then, the oozing mud came out of the earth like squirting lava from a volcano, and it layered all over the surrounding grass, covering it as though it was never there.

Out of the mud, a yellow hand rose, and Louis let out another one of his famous high-pitched squeals.

"He's here!" Louis sang, as though God himself was protruding out of the core of the Earth to save the two from the horrors of existence and bring them to his kingdom.

Sam managed to shake out of the shook state he was in, and looked down the flying bridge to see that it was no longer flying, because strong vines flew up from the gash and tied itself around a huge piece of combined wood, making it a more traditional bridge.

The furry yellow hand soon grabbed onto the vines as a railing, and lifted itself from the large wound in the soil.

"He's here!" Louis bellowed, but then grew silent as the Yellow Furry Creature let out its full figure. And the silent atmosphere soon made itself home once again.

"What is that?" Sam finally croaked out.

What is that is the right question to ask indeed.

It was a small furry creature, yellow with a long orange beard and thick red eyebrows that were pointed downwards to make itself look angry. It had oddly short and straight teeth, but some were yellow and white, resembling candy corn. It was short too. Very short. So short that its beard was longer than its whole body.

"Who dares go through my Forest?" It says in a small, soothing like voice, and Louis lost it.

He literally lost it.

Louis erupted in small fits of giggles and cackles, his eye corners wrinkling and wet from the tears that escaped from laughing too hard.

Sam glared at Louis to stop, because the Furry Yellow Creature looked as though he was about to cut both of the boys to pieces and serve them as sandwiches to his Furry Yellow Creature family.

"Louis!" Sam whispered angrily, causing Louis to stop laughing for a minute, but then look at the creature and laughed ten times harder than he did before.

"I'm sorry! But, it's just that, are you sure you're Minisha?" Louis asks, turning red from trying to hold in his giggles.

The Furry Yellow Creature stomped his foot angrily, "Yes, that would be me. Why do you ask, Mergunt?"

Louis bit his lip, trying not to grin too hard.

"It's just that.. They describe you so intimidating and strong in your legends.. And how dangerous and protective you are of your bridge, But you're... So... So... Small and cuddly."

Minisha stomped his foot once again, "Just because we all can't be the size of cyclops' doesn't mean we aren't just as powerful!"

His voice was so high, that Louis wanted to vomit with laughter.

"It kind of does, mate." Sam says, not scared anymore by studying Minisha's child like character and body. Actually, a four year old would be taller than him, just for comparison.

"Dirty Mergunts! Don't test my power!" Minisha tried to deepen his voice, but ended up cracking it and both Louis and Sam bursted out laughing.

"Hey! Stop laughing! I'm serious!" Minisha whined, sounding as though he just sucked in five pounds of helium.

Continuing their imitations of the creature, Minisha grew angrier and angrier by the second, his orange fur turning a deep salmon in shame and embarrassment, before it turned back into its pumpkin shade and the creature finally let out a scream.

"ENOUGH!" Minisha bellowed, a stronger, deeper voice coming out and shook the trees.

Both of the boys stopped their antics and gulped, eyes widening.

"OOOOH now you've done it, Louis." Sam blamed.

"Me?! You were mocking him too!" Louis snapped back.

"You started it!" Sam fired back weakly.

"Oh, wow, how mature-" Louis started but was quickly cut off by Minisha.

"Quiet! Both of you will pay for your-" Minisha threatens, but Louis continues to talk over him.

"You know what? I think that I should have brought someone who won't try to get us killed every three seconds!"

Sam scoffed, "Me?! Last time I checked Louis, I'm not the one who suggested to go to the Forest ten fucking times!"

"Yeah? Well last time I checked, you're the one who had the power to say no!" Louis fired back.

"The power my ass! You have me tied around your finger and you know it!" Sam argued.

"Then just untangle yourself, Sam-" Louis starts but Minisha interrupts.

"Um... Like I was saying, both of you will pay!--"

Sam rolls his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, we'll pay for mocking you and you're going to threaten us until we beg for mercy and another chance,"

"And then you're going to say that the only way out will be if we answer your riddle and we both say okay, can you just skip all that bullshit and give us our riddle so we can be on our fucking way?" Louis finishes.

Minisha gulps, "Oh... So do I just throw it at you or..?"

Sam nods, annoyed, "Yep, just lay it on us."

Minisha nods, "Oookay... Well uh, I kind of have to sing it... It's part of the..er.. Rules."

Louis groans, "Get on with it then. Hurry now."

"Right, uh," Minisha says, before pulling out a flute from his thick beard, and blowing a small note before singing.

"Oooooooooooooooooooh,   
the forest is deep, the forest is big, the forest is definitely not the size of a fig.  
And although they say it's free for everyone to wander, my riddle will sure make you ponder,   
For if you want to see the other side,   
You must answer the riddle, it is one hell of a ride,  
Now tell me friends, what vomits, screams, and is always on our team, but does not breathe or see?  
Now think carefully, because one wrong answer could cost you your life."

Minisha finishes, smiling wide, hoping that the boys would be impressed with his riddle and cleverness, but they both looked bored.

"And they say I'm the one that needs to fix my sentence structure." Sam narrowed his eyes to Louis.

"How come some parts rhymed and other parts didn't? And even if the parts did rhyme, they made absolutely no sense and were irrelevant." Louis criticized.

"Well, you try finding things that rhymes with answer." Minisha said back, defensive over his riddle that he made up.

"Transfer," Sam said.

"Dancer," Louis added.

"Cancer," Sam says, counting the amount of words on his fingers.

"Enhancer." Louis thought of.

"Okay, okay," Manisha says in shame, his head hung down.

"Romancer." Sam and Louis say at the same time.

"Now you're just making up words. But I get it, I'm a disappointment. Hah, should have just listened to my mother and never bothered with this job.." Manisha laughs humorlessly.

"Ehhh, she's probably right," Sam comments, Louis shooting him a glare in return.

"Heeeeey, you don't have to quit...." Louis comforts.

"What else am I good for? I can't even rhyme words with answer." Manisha sniffles.

"Pancer!" Sam says again after a moment, Louis and Manisha both looking at him with an annoyed look, "Sorry.." Sam hushes.

"You could always just reform the laws? You know.. Make up your own rules." Louis suggested, earning a snort from Manisha.

"Yeah, like King Harry would ever let me do that."

Louis furrowed his eyebrows.

"Who's life is it? Who's working out here, trying to keep away trespassers from his land? I know it's certainly not King Harry. Who is it?" Louis encouraged.

"Me..." Manisha says low.

"What? I could hear you over the sound of your uncertainty. I said, who is the boss of his own life?!" Louis asks louder.

"Me!" Manisha says more confident.

"And who's going to do whatever he wants to protect his property?!"

"I am!"

"And who's going to go against the system?!"

"I am!"

"Great job, Louis. You just brainwashed another creature." Sam muttered under his breath, but Louis heard it.

"Nope, I liberated him from mental slavery. Just look how confident he is now." Louis smiled fondly at the marching Manisha, yelling 'I am' over and over again in circles.

Sam nodded, "Now, you want to liberate us from this damn bridge before its sunrise?"

The boys were lucky that Stellarum's stars were illuminating the Forest and the moon was a bright, eery green.

"Oh yeah," Louis piped up, and called down to Manisha. "Hello, again! Can you remove the vines so we can be on our way now?"

Manisha looked up and gave Louis a salute, "But what about the riddle, sir?"

Louis raised an eyebrow, "Do you really want me to give you an answer, or does the monarchy want you to believe you want me to give you an answer?"

Manisha nodded at the theory as though it was one of the most logical things he has ever heard in his life, "You're right!"

With another salute, Manisha opened the palm of his hand, and a ball of pink light appeared. The Furry Yellow Creature closed the palm of his hand quickly, closing the gash in the earth and turning the conjoined bridge back to the pieces of wood it was before.

"Good luck, brave young lads!" Manisha called back, before sinking into the earth, with a smile never leaving his face.

Louis also continued to grin, glad that he made another creature as happy as they now are.

"Louis, Louis!" Sam snapped his fingers infront of the omega's face.

"What-- yeah? You okay?" Louis asks, snapping out of his trance.

"I'm fine. I hope you are, because according to this map," Sam points to the parchment in Louis' pocket, "We're near Floribus, the pixie habitat. It's just a little turns away."

Louis nods, regaining the energy he had once before.

"And in we go, but watch your step, I read that the pixies pull humiliating pranks and awful antics. We need to be alert at all times."

"Maybe if we don't survive, you'll at least be with your people, troublesome and always awake." Sam said, deadpanned.

Louis rolls his eyes and nudged Sam playfully, before grabbing his hand and running, yet again, towards the thick, compacted trees, ready to steal the wand.

If only they were more prepared for what destiny had in store for them.

.  
.  
.


	6. Butterflies and Shackles

IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE LOUIS AND SAM REACHED AN Open area, full of lush grass and small ponds, or so it seemed from where they were standing. A long, white line was drawn in front of them, showing that this is a section that belongs to the pixies and the pixies only.

No other magical creature except the pixies have this white line that separates their section from others in the forest. Most likely because the pixies were the most annoying, aggravating, and mischievous creatures in the whole wide world.

With their screechy voices, and continuous antics, it's fair to say that no one wanted to even go near them.

Well, unless you're Louis Tomlinson, of course.

The pixies look all the same. They all wear small purple dresses, and vibrant violet lipstick. With their lavender hair, and dark brown  skin tones (since melanin is what brings them their magic), they are all very beautiful. But be warned, for their beauty is just a distraction from their malevolence.

Louis found beauty in everything. Beauty not in only on the outside, but in the inside. Because he knew that beauty was just a social construct built to separate others into groups and different levels of society.

Beauty is a gigantic contribution to segregation. So even if the books and other propaganda methods say that trolls are hideous, or that pixies have ugly souls, Louis knows that isn't the truth.

Nothing is ugly, and nothing is beautiful. It all depends on how you, we, make it. And Louis chooses that everyone, everything, is beautiful. And that is his philosophy for the rest of his life.

"Lou.. Are you sure that this is Floribus?" Sam asked the omega, hesitance loud in his voice.

Louis takes out the parchment he kept in his pouch and nods, "It is. According to this map it's behind the Swamp Mermaid's swamp, but in front of the Bridge. We crossed the bridge here," Louis points across and stops at a large tree, "and then took a couple of turns from the golden apple trees, and now we're at the Floribus border section."

Louis points to the faint white line depicted on the brown paper, and then uses the same pointer finger to show the same line, more vibrant, on the ground.

"But it's not... where are the pixies? The flowers? And even the mushroom houses? It's just grass for a mile. I think we might have took a wrong turn." Sam concludes, Louis shaking his head in return.

"No.. We can't be. The map says," Louis starts.

"The map is wrong, then. You said it yourself that the tribe had flaws with their plan, so what makes you think that they didn't have flaws with their maps?" Sam points out.

But Louis still shakes his head in denial, knowing that the boys are too far to just return home and find a new direction. By the time they would get home, it'll be sunrise, and then the Messengers from the Highlands would come along, and gather Louis and all the other omegas to be sold off for the rest of their lives.

And Louis can't have that.

"No.. If there's a mistake we'll fix it. Let's just go on and see if the map was right or wrong." Louis tries.

Sam scoffs, "So we just risk our lives? Sorry to break it to you Louis, but not everyone wants to die."

Louis furrows his eyebrows at his alpha friend, "I thought you knew what you were signing up for."

Sam lets out a humorless laugh, "Signing up for? There shouldn't be a damn sign up sheet to our friendship. I don't even know why I came here with you!"

Louis grows angry, "Yeah, I don't know why you did either! If you just stayed home, I would have been at the castle by now!"

Sam rose his eyebrows, "So you're saying I'm holding you back?"

It's Louis' turn to scoff, "Well you aren't pushing up front, now are you, Samuel?!"

The alpha let out another humorless laugh, "Maybe I have to hold you back, Louis. Because sometimes you are just so superfluous and decide that you, a sixteen year old omega, Mergunt boy, can save the whole damn world with your hopeful speeches!"

Louis was taken aback from Sam's sudden outburst, but quickly recovered once he saw that they were in a fight.

"And you think you're any better than I am?" Louis shoots back.

Sam looks around, avoiding Louis' eyes, "Last time I checked, I'm not the one who's risking his life."

Louis squints, "Well last time I checked, you're the one here standing with me."

Sam bites his lip, obviously tired. "Lou, can we just head on home and just accept that you have to go to the Ceremony? Life's not always going to be like this.. But it is for now."

"So if not us, then who? People are dying this second by hunger and disease while those highlanders are stuffing themselves with turkey and bathing in strawberries as we speak!" Louis says, frustrated.

"Just look at yourself, Louis! We have no magic, no allies, no backup plan, no constructed plan, and clue if we're even going to complete what we want to complete! The only one behind is Death--" Sam begins but Louis cuts him off.

"Well maybe I rather fucking die!" Louis screams.

Sam lowers his voice in shock, "Wh-what?"

"Have you ever thought that maybe I'd rather give my life willingly to the Grim Reaper rather than to be forced to be sold off like a product, and forced to produce alpha babies and sell off my omega children as servants until I can't?! Is that so crazy?" Louis asks, throwing his hands around.

"Lou-" Sam tries calming him down.

"No, don't Lou me just so we can go back in peace. I would rather die trying, than live wondering how my life would be like if I attempted to rewrite my fate. I'm sorry if that's not what you want, but it is what I want. We can go to the Griffin field and you can fly yourself home, but I'm staying." Louis stands his ground.

Sam nods, turning around, and Louis swears he can hear his own heart break into a million, tiny, glass pieces, stabbing his insides.

But then Sam turns around and let's out a loud groan.

"And I'd rather die than keep living, wondering what happened to my best friend." The alpha says, Louis smiling toothy in return, running over to him and giving him a bear hug.

"I'm sorry, Lou." Sam whispers in his ear as Louis buries his face into his neck.

"Thank you." Is all Louis says, and hugs the alpha tighter.

And then Sam falls backwards.

No, more specifically,

he falls behind the border, behind the white line.

And then it happens.

The 'green grass' that was only to be seen suddenly turned yellow and a burnt orange. All of the 'green grass'. It looked like a domino effect really, or in this case, the butterfly effect.

Thousands, no, millions, of butterflies rose up from the ground, and fluttered all over, some, hovering and some leaving south. They looked like a thick layer of beauty, hiding some sort of civilization below them.

 

Once all the butterflies swarmed away, Louis and Sam still were ducked down and continued to cover their eyes, not wanting any sort of trouble with the enchanted creature. Or suffocation.

The blue sky was no longer filled with clouds, but patches of monarchs. The monarch butterfly or simply monarch is a milkweed butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. Other common names depending on region include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black veined brown, these butterflies rare.

Rare because once the war ended between Omegas and Alphas, the war between Alphas and Humans began. Humans attempted to regain their land, over and over again, from the threatening alphas. But their weapons, bombs, and guns were no use, since magic was on the animals' sides.

The alphas had brainwashed the creatures into thinking that the humans were the bad guys, and how they were going to enslave the creature, making them do tricks and stunts in glass cages, in front of everyone of their kind. They also told the magical creatures that humans are ego over eco, and think themselves more superior, thus earning the trust of the vulnerable creatures.

Once they earned their trust, they used their protection and magic to extract the humans from all their power, including technology. This act was called the Spolia Umbra, or the 'Shadow Strip' since technology backed them up, like a shadow does.

Many Mergunt creatures died once a spell called Initium Novum, which was a reborn spell that wiped away many species, was cast, no everyday bugs or insects were seen again.

Expect the monarch butterflies.

It's a mystery why they had remained when everything else stronger than them had died off. Some people have theories that they were magical from the beginning, and some have theories theories that they hold a certain power that's beyond anyone else's.

"What the hell was that?" Sam breathed out, trying to bottle up his shock, and still has his face buried his his arms, not looking up.

Louis, on the other hand, is in awe. He taps Sam's shoulder.

"Sa-sam... Look up." He gasped.

Sam shook his head, "You know, I think you're right. Dying is a better option, let my corpse rot here."

"Sam, look up." Louis repeats, this time barley in a whisper.

"Don't mind me, old friend. Let me just disintegrate, fly up in a million pieces and be amongst the stars.." Sam sighs dramatically.

Louis rolls his eyes this time, and grabs a fist full of Sam's long, blonde, curly hair and yanks it upwards, forcing the alpha to see the same.

"Holy shit..." Sam breathed out.

And holy shit indeed.

The stories about Floribus certainly were incorrect and over rated, because no, this couldn't be it. In the tales, the land was bright and colorful, filled with moisture, lushness, and flowers that were stronger than any Golden Apple Tree alive. They say that in the sun or the moon, gold pixie dust fell down, and the flowers immediately soaked it up as though it was the most importance in the whole universe.

But this wasn't that Floribus. This was different. Very different. It was dead. The flowers were dry and crunchy, some petals were exploding into dust piles. The mushroom houses were crumpled, wrinkled, as though someone had stepped on them. The giant tree that provided shade, which Louis didn't even notice, was chopped, a small stump was only left.

Golden pixie dust wasn't falling streams like they once did before, instead it was like a sprinkle of poor glitter a child would have on their drawings. It was horrible, the whole land looked sickly, and it would take one small step to throw this civilization down in ashes.

"Please!" A small voice called out from behind the short, thick stump, averting the boys' attention to it.

"Pl-please! We didn't cause the butterflies to fly! Please don't hurt us!" The small voice screeched louder, and it was frightened.

Many other small pleads filled the air, causing Louis and Sam to get up from their place and walk over to the stump, kneeling down, and looking behind the stump. They almost screamed at what they saw.

Minuscule pale looking things looked up at them with fear, cheekbones sharp enough to slit a deep gash in someone's throat. These could not be pixies. They weren't perky, not even close to bubbly. They looked weak and exhausted, too tired to even talk further.

Their lavender hair was brittle and thin, and skin wasn't the deep brown color, but white as snow.

"We.. We're not going to hurt you.. We actually want to help." Louis says calm and quite, not wanting to startle the, because it seemed as though they would fall sort with one sharp screech.

"We do?" Sam whispered.

Louis gave him a look before slapping his head, "We do."

"After you destroyed our land, and clipped our wings, you now want to help us?" A pixie asked, her voice hoarse and angry, a large cough coming after her sentence.

Louis furrowed his eyebrows, "We have never destroyed your land, this is our first time here, actually."

The pixies let out a depressed group sigh, letting out bad vibrations down Louis' spine, goose bumps rising in result to the sadness sinking into his body.

"You don't recall the times you stepped over us and our land, discarding us as though we were rinds of fruit?" Another pixie asked, clutching onto the stump for her life.

Louis shook his head, forlorn that these pixies looked and thought this way with such discourage and fear from anyone outside their own group. Sam answered for him, noticing his best friend's sadness.

"We don't recall because we haven't seen this land before. May you describe the ones who did?" Sam asks, just as softly as Louis.

"King Harry's men," the same pixie spoke for the rest of her group, who seemed as though she might collapse from starvation.

"King Harry's men? I thought they were your allies, they were supposed to protect you in exchange for your spells." Louis felt his throat contract in sadness.

A pixie let out a simple, weak, and dry laugh. "That is what we had thought too. Until they came and took all our magic, along with our tree, or anything that has kept us safe."

Louis was intrigued and furious, "Tell us more."

And so they did.

-✨-

IT WAS'NT UNUSUAL THAT HARRY WAS IN ANOTHER Gathering, or meeting as some would call it with some of his advisors.

He was king, after all.

But this time he was late, purposely of course. Too busy with last minute favors, proposals, loans, and dungeons to attend on time.

But this time, he was busy observing something in the sky.

It wasn't as though he was missing much, though. It was the same conversations, the same topics, and the same message throughout at the end of the important ones.

Marriage.

"It took us over three centuries to get where we are and to build this system, and we are not going to let it fall because the king refuses to marry!" An advisor named Richmond Talison argued to another advisor with the identity of Zayn Malik.

"And we are not going to force the king into any acts, because once the kingdom is run on pups with no love or want, we will certainly crumble." Zayn says calmly back, trying to reason.

"I agree with Malik. King Harry has centuries to live and rule, which means centuries to be prepared. Why rush and raise evil instead of waiting and raising love?" Liam Payne says from his chair, earning murmurs of agreement, Zayn smiling to himself in return.

Richmond let's out a scoff, "And if something happens to King Harry?"

Zayn raises a dark brow, "Are you saying that somehow someone will find a way to turn everyone and everything against the kingdom, which breaks all order? Because if you are, you sound highly delusional at the moment."

Richmond turns red, "It is possible. And why take the risk?"

"But what is the greater possibility here, Richmond, a kingdom run by evil, or a kingdom taken down by brainwashing, the same way it was built?" A female alpha, Danielle, asks, proving Zayn and Liam's point further, and earning more murmurs of agreement.

Before Richmond could respond, Harry enters the room and everyone stands up and bow in respect.

"King Harry." They all say in unison, waiting for Harry to give them a nod in acknowledgment, but it never happens.

Harry was livid. His nose flared and eyebrows furrowed, he marches over to the one, lone window near the corner of the room and opens it at once.

For a while, nothing happens, but then a simple monarch butterfly flies into the room, causing everyone to grow stiff.

"The Enchanted Forest has been broken in to. I want you all to gather the Messengers and go into Floribus. Tell them to bring the trespassers to me, whether they are a creature themselves, or a Mergunt." Harry commands, waiting for all of them to scatter and do as he says.

"Now!" Harry growls, watching as everyone scurried in an instant, and emptied the room at once.

Harry brings out a finger to the butterfly, and watches it land onto it freely. He examines it closer with anger close to his mind. The feeling of his head heavy and heart in a knot caused the king to crush the butterfly and squeeze it in the palm of his hand.

And then he waited.

Waited for the trespassers to arrive so he could decide their fate for them.

Since he couldn't do it it for himself.

-✨-

"--AND THEN THEY TORE OUR WINGS Out of our bodies and said to us that we shall never fly again, or see the sun. They gathered all the butterflies and cast a spell to cover us with them, and we never saw the sun again for months." The pixies finished their story munching on the pumpkin bread that the boys' brought along with them.

"Oh! And tell them what they said about the Forest! Tell them!" Another pixie said, regaining her energy from the bread.

"Alright, alright.. Then one of them said that, real slowly, we were left to die because we were no longer useful to the kingdom. Which got us thinkin'," the pixie takes a bite of bread before continuing, "what happens once everyone else becomes irrelevant to them? They gon' wipe them out too?"

Louis nods in understanding, "You're right!"

Sam then begins to impatiently ask, "Which is why we have to ask, did they take your wands too?"

Louis wanted to kill him.

"Wands? Heck, they didn't even leave our wings, what makes you think they're going to let us keep our damn wands?" A pixie asked, causing Sam to groan.

"So there's no way we can stop the Highlanders?" Louis asks in a small voice, getting ready to break down.

A pixie shook her head, "Not a chance."

Just as Louis was ready to let out the waterworks and turn around to head home, another pixie voice came out.

"Unless you want to steal the wand inside the castle." It suggested.

Sam sighed and muttered, "Why'd you have to tell him that?"

Louis perked up, "You know where they keep the wands?"

The same pixie nodded, "Well, we know where they keep the main wand, Iris'. It's displayed in the Main Dining Hall, as a trophy."

Louis looked at Sam with a toothy smile.

"A small change of plans..?"

And the alpha signed before standing up.

"We better be on our way then." Sam says, grabbing Louis hand and pulling him up.

Louis squealed and looked back at the pixies, "We won't forever you guys! We'll come back for you all, I promise!"

The pixies waved, "Thank you!"

The boys continued forward, looking down and inspecting all the dead grass, flowers, mushrooms, and some small skeletons, which make both of them shiver.

"We're going to die, you know that, right?" Sam said.

"Yep."

"Killed."

"Indeed."

"Murdered."

"Uh-huh."

"Buried six feet under."

"If we're lucky."

Sam chuckled, Louis rose a brow in response, crossing the end of the white line that told them they were our of Floribus.

"What's so funny?" Louis asks.

Sam shrugs, "The funny thing is, I don't even care if our bones are going to be boiled and fed to the dogs. I'm actually having fun."

Louis stopped in his tracks, eyes widening.

"I know.. I know.. What a surprise. But seriously, I don't even care about what those dickheads called highlanders are going to do anymore." Sam says loud.

"Sam..." Louis whispers.

"They, along with their shitty King, can go rot in a hole," Sam continues,

"Sam..please." Louis begs, eyes widening more.

"Once we're done with them, we'll rip out their knots and feed them to the dogs." Sam finishes, Louis chuckling shakily.

"Oh, Sam, you jokester." Louis stutters.

Sam rose his eyebrows, "I'm serious."

"You better hope you aren't." A deep voice says behind them, and Sam turns around, his breathe hitching.

A man with long dark hair, and a dark beard holds two shackles.

"Louis William Tomlinson and Samuel Berning Ortan, you are wanted for treason against the king."

And that's where everything started to fall apart. 


	7. Carriage Rides and Prisonment

"WELL, LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, AT LEAST THEY Have cookie treats in the back of this old thing." Louis smiles bright, pointing at the sugary treats placed in a tray in front of them.

The boys were in a carriage, being pulled straight for the castle. The thing with going to the Highlands from the Lowlands is that the journey is rocky. You would first have to pull out from the Enchanted Forest, and then go up the mountain curves, riding up in a spiral, and go straight to the castle.

Louis wished he could tell the Messenger that there was a shorter way to get to their destination, but in the position their in right now, it's best to just keep quite and not say anything.

"Yes, it would be more nice if we're weren't in damn cuffs so we could actually eat the cookies instead of looking at them like hungry stray dogs." Sam remarked, earning a cackle from Louis.

"I never knew I was going to die at sixteen, to be quite honest with you." Sam said after a moment, Louis looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Who said we're going to die?" The omega asks, with a smirk.

Sam widened his eyes, "No."

Louis gave him an amused look, "I didn't even say anything."

Sam shook his head, "I know that look. That's the look that says you're planning something, and sorry to break it to you Lou, your plans are the reason we're in the back of a carriage, shackled, and ready to be executed."

Louis smiled, and looked out the window. "Trust me, Sammy. We are not going to die today, my friend."

Sam gave him a confused look, "And how do you know that?"

Louis shrugs, "Because I don't feel like dying today."

Sam let out a laugh. A real laugh. "You don't get to decide that, Louis."

The omega shakes his head, "I do. It's my life, and I decide that I don't want to die. And you don't either. So we aren't going to die. End of story."

Sam let's out a sigh, "I'm telling you Tomlinson, when I die and turn into a ghost, I'm going to find your ass and kill you dead. Again."

"And I'd let you." Louis says, and with that, both of them sit in a comfortable silence.

It's strange, really. It's like, all this time for five years, both of them were scared of being caught. They were frightened and intimidated by the castle, the creatures, the punishments, and the king. But now that they've been caught, it's relaxing, almost.

No more being cautious, careful, or wondering what will happen to them if they do get seen.

But it's calm.

Everything's calm, and Louis was even enjoying the ride. It's like what they say about death, it's a battle you're not trying to win. You have no will to win it. Because if you develop the mentality that you're going to lose either way, it'll be quicker for you. It'll be quick and simple.

Death is a civil war. It happens inside you. Between you. At first, you want to fight, oh hell don't you want to fight. But as you throw punches, kicks, and spits, you realize it's tiring. That your hurting yourself more than your hurting anyone, anything, else.

So then you stop.

You stop competing with death and then you decide it's the best decision you have ever made. Because you should know that once you hold on to something tight and wrap it around yourself, it will stop your circulation. So continuing to hold onto that dear, that battle to go against your destiny, it's going to hurt like a bitch.

So let go. Let go and liberate yourself from the clutches of your own stubbornness. And then the journey will hurt a whole lot less. And maybe, just maybe, you might even win the battle.

No one really wants to die, no one. Everyone just wants to be reborn. You want to flee from the life you're living now, and run away from your issues. Because death is violent when it's forced. Very violent.

If you ask Sam if he regrets coming to adventures with Louis, he would say no. Because once you're facing death, you look back at all, your good times, your memorable times. And it comes back to you in a flash. And frankly, all his memorable times involved Louis Tomlinson.

If Sam never came with Louis this time, he would've never seen the boy again. His best friend would have disappeared and Sam would have lived with wonder all his life. Wondering where Louis was, and if he was alive or not. Wondering what it would be like if he had went, and if it would be any different.

It was like a twisted version of Survivors Guilt. Because without Louis, Sam was lost. 

So no, he wasn't scared. Neither of them were. They were together and that's all that mattered right now.

Sam leaned on Louis' shoulder, and looked outside the small cut window. It was beautiful, really.

Luscious hills were behind them, and the Forest looked so tiny from how uphill they were. The castle was visible, though. It stood  with all its glory, surrounding water reflecting. It was lit up, perhaps for the Ceremony. And the village in front of it caused a struck of sharp pang thst struck Sam's heart. It was his home.

Was.

It's a very ugly word. A word that confirms that the past is valid. A world that lets you know that what you loved was before, and you're in the present now.

Sam looked in front of him and the Man With The Dark Beard was schilling the horse to go faster, faster towards the castle. He was probably scared of King Harry as well. Ever one was.

Louis doesn't know why everyone was frightened of him. But it's funny, really, the same people who say they respect the king are the same people who fear the man the most.

That's not how a respect should be. Thats not how a king should be.

"You know, looking at these people, I see where the rest of our food is." Sam snorts.

Through the village, large, fat men and their posh wives are strolling through the street. Their bellies were round and protruded outwards, and chins drooping lower than their legs did. It was disgusting to Louis and Sam. Their people barley could cover their ribcages, while these Highlanders are heavy from excessive eating.

"Do you smell that?" Louis says, his stomach screaming aloud.

Sam groans in desire, "It's like their torturing us with the smell of sugar and diabetes."

The cobblestone was clear, and the air smelled like pumpkin and sugar. Small shops were surrounding the area as well, selling shoes, candles, tunics, and even silk. Stands of fish, meat, and cheese made Louis and Sam salivate, and Louis swore that if they weren't shackled and stuffed into the back of a carriage, he would have stolen every piece of.. Well.. Everything, here.

The sun was finally beating down with its full power, illuminating every cloud above and radiating down onto ever acre of land throughout Stellarum.

It reminded Louis that his mother and sisters are going to be upset. Forlorn. Mourning. It made Louis' stomach twist just thinking about his mother crying, losing another member of her family.

He also felt selfish. Selfish that Sam finally had a family as well, but Louis tore it away from him, again. Idiot. Louis decided he was an idiot.

Sam rested his head on Louis' shoulder and kept it there for a while, their silence grew loud, and so did Louis' guilt.

"Sam," Louis said in a whisper, earning a small hum of acknowledgement from the alpha.

"What are you thinking about right now?" He asked.

Sam shrugged, "Hoping that before we die, I could try some of this garlic bread that everyone is talking about."

Louis could tell he was trying to stay humorous for the omega, and that made him sulk even more. Louis truly did love Sam with every ounce of his heart. He buried his face in Sam's shaggy blonde hair, loving the curls and length, and warmth.

"We're not going to die." Louis says.

"Lou?" Sam says after.

"Yeah?"

"I decided I don't want to either. I'm not going to die today."

And if that didn't give Louis courage, nothing else will.

"Then we won't." Louis says, and then with that stated, the carriage came to a stop and their door was swung open with a screech of the hinges.

A hand was offered to each of the boys by the Man With the Dark Beard, and then they realized they were being treated kindly because what's going to happen next for the rest of their lives will not be so pleasant.

"Welcome to the Highlands. Now if you'd please step this way.."

  -✨-

"LOUIS, OW, THAT WAS MY FOOT!" SAM WINCED AS Louis stepped on his foot the third time in the past five minutes they've been in the castle.

"Sorry, but these damn shackles are making me lose my balance, hey mister, can you take these off now?" Louis asks, hopeful.

The Man With The Dark Beard gives him a look that says 'you did not just ask me that right now' and continues pulling the chain that was attached to the metal cuffs, and dragged the boys further.

"He's awfully rude." Louis whispered to Sam, letting out a groan when the chain on his neck was pulled again, but this time it was more of a yank.

"Well, I mean, I wouldn't be nice to criminals." Sam shrugged.

Louis gave him a narrow of the eyes, "We are not criminals."

Sam snorted, "Ah yes, because these chains on our necks and shackles on our hands are simply just because the king has a thing for them."

Louis, unfortunately, erupted in loud fits of giggles and had to shut his mouth tight before he commented back, which was definitely not a smart idea, so he held them back.

The inside of the castle was very different from the outside. The outside was like a false mask, showing everyone power, beauty, reassurance, and even hope. The outside was plastered with vibrant blues and greens, each cone on the tower painted to perfection and detail.

But the inside wasn't like that at all.

Not one bit.

It was cold, unwelcoming. Grey, dusty floors and even duller walls with small cracks and old oil paintings were the only objects shown. It was plain, and a twisted way of frightening, even. It made Louis wonder. Some claw marks were even shown through red wallpaper, and a large painting with an old man with a black mustache was scratched out and harassed completely.

It made Louis shudder. If a painting, an inanimate object had so much damage done, just imagine what would happen to him and Sam.

As they all walk through different halls, Louis notices how they get more narrow and more depressing with each turn. Some walls even have peeling paint, and long nail marks stretching across, as though an animal was trying to escape the castle itself.

Louis gulped, regretting putting Sam in this situation.

The boys finally stopped having their chains pulled, and Louis looked in front of him to only let out a small gasp at the size of the two, excessively large double doors that stood with all their glory. They had swirls of green and blue in corners, and looked like two golden bars that were enlarged to a superfluous extent.

Louis almost snorted at the sight. Whole his people were risking their lives, doing dirty work, for money, here these people are making doors with one thousand pounds of pure gold.

Two guards stood perfectly still on each end, holding rifles and looking as though they were statues. They looked at Louis and Sam, though. With eyes empty, and no sign of any emotion.

The Man With The Dark Beard gave the boys a smirk before pulling their chained necks again with his metal-like rope that connected to their collars, and walked towards the doors closer.

"I am here to present malefactors Louis Tomlinson and Samuel Ortan to the king." The Man With The Dark Beard says, pointing at his small, clipped badge sewed into his uniform, the silver ribbon-like thing flashing like a star in the dimmed lights. This badge had a red, alpha, roaring, printed onto it, signifying that he's a Messenger for the kingdom.

The guards marched over to them and quickly patted down Louis and Sam, making sure there were no weapons they could use against them or anyone in the castle. The guard with same stepped back once he found that Sam was clean, and had nothing to hide.

Louis on the other hand...

The guard almost let out a groan. There is approximately four items in Louis' pockets that were cut into his poncho, purposely, of course. 

\- A dead, baby snake (Louis planned on using it for some sort of bait for the Shark Fish in the rivers near the South Lowlands, who love the taste of reptiles.)

\- A dragon tooth (Great for cutting wood, it was a present Louis was planning to gift Daniel)

\- A small pouch of fairy dust (Which he stole so he could sprinkle it all over his sisters when they were getting on his nerves, excited to see them scream in terror when they float)

\- And, best of all (or worst, depends how you see it) a live cricket.

The cricket made he guard jump when it hopped out of Louis' pocket, and Sam stared at him with wide eyes.

"To be fair, I had no idea that was in there." Louis attempted to defend himself, and another small pouch of fairy dust fell through a hold in his pocket.

"Okay, now I knew that was in there." Louis admits, laughing small, but stopped when he saw that the guards didn't find this humorous.

Tough crowd.

The guards then bowed to The Man With the Dark Beard, (the guard that searched Louis struggled to bow properly since he was holding everything that he inspected, which was his, fault really.) The Man With the Dark Beard bowed back slowly, before yanking the chain again and almost dragging the boys closer to the door.

The guards put one hand on each large door, and pushed it open, allowing The Man With the Dark Beard to enter along with the two boys. Louis and Sam tried their best to put their most sincerest faces on before entering as well.

And they almost audibly gasped as they saw the mahal in front of their own eyes.

It was a whole court room, but two times the size of one.

There are over fifty men and women on the right side of the room, sitting in brown benches with sophisticated, smug looks. They were draped in blue silk robes, and their hands were neatly golden and posture straighter than a pole.

On the left side, there were the same type of people, except they were draped in red silk and had wands in each hand.

Louis didn't even want to know what those wands were for.

Both the boys kept their eyes wandering, looking all over the room in pure awe. Everything was so magnificent, so fancy, and so, luxurious.

Suddenly, Louis heard Sam let out a small yelp beside him. Luckily, it was muffled by all the loud speaking that the men and women draped in skill were doing. Louis nudges him.

"What was that?" Louis whispered, trying his hardest for the Man With The Black Beard not to hear him.

Sam's eyes widened and skin paled, he, shockingly, raised his head toward the direction he was looking in.

"It's King Harry." Sam stuttered, and it was.

And Louis would never admit to it, but once he turned his head to the front of the hall and saw the tall man, he stared Harry down. He stared and stared at him like he was the most interesting creature he had ever seen.

And Harry was.

Louis was not expecting this. Yes, he has seen paintings, and yes, he had heard descriptions. But none of them depicted him like this.

The stories that the Lowlanders told Louis about Harry's physique and face was as expected, hideous. Frightening. Intimidating. Ugly.

But Harry wasn't any of those things.

Even with horns protruding from his head, and wild green eyes, (along with strange ink patterns lining all over his body) caused Louis to grow curious and wonder. He sat in a throne, long legs crossed over each other. His curly brown hair was tucked behind the large crown that fit perfectly on his head.

Louis and Sam were below him, kneeling on their knees and their necks still tied with loose chains.

All Louis wanted to do right now was examine Harry up close, for he was the more fascinating than any creature he has seen in the Forest. And that's saying something.

Louis was suddenly knocked out of his trance when a woman in front of Harry knocked her gavel down a heavy, brown, vertical desk. She wore a cotton vest, and small glasses that balanced on her long, pointy, upward nose. 

"Order! Order in court!" She shouted, surprising the boys with her deep voice.

"Whatever happens, don't give in." Was all Louis whispered to Sam before wincing when the chain on his neck was pulled by the Man With The Dark Beard yanked on it once again to silence them.

The whole court room was silenced, and they all stood up and bowed down to Harry, before the king rose a hand to let them all know to sit down and continue the trial. The woman from before began speaking again.

"This is case number 0018, Louis William Tomlinson and Samuel Berning Ortan, you have been charged for treason. We shall read you aloud your crimes, and you must respond Guilty or Not Guilty with honesty." She says, rising Louis' hopes.

"Lying," Louis thought, "One of my many talents."

"And our Royal Caster will make sure that you swallow our Truth Elixir before we begin." The woman finished.

"Well, shit." Louis finished thinking, and let his face morph into a pout in defeat.

The corners of Harry's mouth flicked up for a second.

"Caster Niall, if you please," The woman says, and a blond boy who was standing glum next to her, with bad posture, perked up straight and widened his eyes.

"Caster Niall, as in me Caster Niall?" The blond said excitedly, causing Louis to let out an internal laugh.

The woman, who had an embarrassed look on her face, nodded, "You're the only Caster Niall here."

Niall bounced up, and squealed before picking up his wand and a two small glass tubes from the same vertical desk that the gavel had banged on.

He was bubbly, obviously, but too bubbly to be a Royal Caster.

Royal Casters were wizards who did everything that involved magical powers for the kingdom. They would cast protection spells, plague spells, stir poisonous broths, and were even in charge of looking over both the Low and Highlands.

There were two types of Royal Casters:

1\. Professionals who have been training for over twenty years, and were already in charge of Stellarum itself, having all power at the touch of their fingertips.

2\. Royal Casters In Training, who were born into the wizard life and had much to learn. They lived in the castle, and trained in there till they are ready to take over.

It was obvious that Niall wasn't a professional. Hell, he didn't even look like a Royal Caster In Training. They usually are more serious and confident with what their doing, but here, in front of Sam and Louis, Niall looked as though he was going to give them poison instead of a Truth Elixir.

"Sorry, um," Niall stumbled, almost dropping the glass tubes onto the marble floor. He balanced them onto the floor, after all, and took a gulp of air before blowing it out of his system, as though he was cleansing himself from any nerves.

"Okay, I'll have you know, I've never done this before..." Niall warned, but then noticed that he should hurry up before the woman changes her mind and chooses another apprentice to create the elixir.

"Right, here we go.." Niall began, shaking his hands in fists (his right still holding the wand) and jumping up and down before getting to the spell immediately.

Niall pointed his silver wand (a beginners wand that they gave to the Casters In training instead of the vermillion red one) and spat out a spell with a deeper voice.

"Liquidae veritatis!"

The spell, much to Niall's luck, did work. The two glass tubes quickly filled up to a glittered violet, thick in constancy and bubbling with heat and liveness. It certainly didn't look appetizing, more like a cleaning gel you would put in a toilet to disinfect it with.

A pungent odor radiated off the tubes as well, a musky Elf's dropping, more like. Louis gulped as Niall picked the two glass tubes up and put it in front of their faces.

"That was my first elixir spell, you know? I've never done it before until now, you know? This is my first time even being in a court room, too." Niall rambled, before handing the boys the tubes in their clutched hands, and he ran back to his place besides the woman, looking more perkier and confident than he did before.

"Now you boys must drink the elixirs, make sure to swallow thoroughly and carefully, every drop counts." The woman warns, nodding for the boys to continue.

Louis and Sam gave each other wide looks, both of them gulping and their facial expressions screaming "we should make a run for it."

But they did drink it, after all. I mean, what other choice do they really have?

It was more terrible than Louis thought it would be.

The elixir tasted of rabbit blood and unicorn waste, (which is not as pleasant as it sounds, Louis found that out the hard way) the texture was thick and even grimy in some parts of his mouth. The Elixir burned down their throats, and as it fought its way back up, Louis forced himself to swallow it.

Sam and Louis, suddenly, were violently shaking and Sam even gagged a little at the acidic feel of burning Truth Elixir from the back of his throat, that felt like it would leave a deep bruise or even a wound. Both of the boys were sputtering and coughing.

"It's working! Oh my god, it's working!" Niall babbled in joy, bouncing up and down and gave himself a pat on the shoulder.

All at once, the coughing and sputtering came to a halt, and Louis, along with Sam, stood up straight and kept their heads high. Mouths sealed but ready to burst open at any word now.

The woman in the cotton vest nodded at their silence and finally began her interrogation.

"Louis William Tomlinson, you have been looked into and it has been stated that on October 8th, 1999, you and Mr. Ortan have made your first journey into the Forest, guilty or not guilty?" The woman queried.

Louis felt his chest tighten and palms begin to sweat. His forehead was hot and his hair felt like a burden at this point. Louis' automatic instinct was to lie, and it was actually going to come out until he made direct eye contact with King Harry.

Which was a big mistake, because as soon as his blue eyes connected with blood shot viridescent ones, that were filled with something that Louis wasn't sure what. Trust? Inquisitiveness? Whatever it was, it made Louis' instincts betrayed him and spilled out the truth.

"Not guilty." Louis answered simply, pursing his lips tight but they soon became undone as Harry looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"It was actually October 9th, 1999." Louis finished, forcing his eyes away from Harry's smug gaze, feeling defeated and helpless.

Which was not a good feeling that fitted Louis at all.

And he could still feel the holes Harry was burning in his skin by his stare filled with unreadable emotion.

The two sides murmured a few things, and then silenced themselves as the lady spoke up once again, this time her question directing at Sam. Which had Louis wanting to reach over and tape the boy's mouth shut before we rambles on and exploits superfluous amount of information.

"Samuel Berning Ortan," The woman begins as Louis was writing his will in his head. "It has been looked into and stated that you, along with Louis Tomlinson, had have been stealing from only the fairies. Guilty, or not guilty?"

Louis may or may not have converted to over five hundred different religions, praying to all the gods above that Sam keeps his mouth shut.

But Sam did look calm. He looked not only come, but there was not a sign of worry in his face. Louis actually had hope.

"Not guilty." Sam answered, and Louis swears that he felt angels kissing him on his heart.

But he spoke too soon, because Sam opened his mouth to say a whole lot more than he had to.

"We stole not only from the fairies, but the Betas, Brownies, Merchants, Trolls, Cyclops', Headers, Witches, Warlocks, Ogres, and more but I can't recall their names." Sam breathed out, shooting Louis an apologetic look. But he wasn't finished.

"And to be fair, Louis stole the majority of the things." Sam mouthed a 'I'm so sorry' towards the omega, while he face palmed and wondered if death is even a bad option.

Everyone from both sides of the room widened their eyes, and this time even shouted out insults to the boys. Niall had his mouth ajar and the woman even looked like she was took aback.

But Harry kept on staring at the omega in front of him.

Louis felt doomed. And his doom slowly morphed into grief. The grief was like glue in his head, sticky and permanent until replaced by another memory. But all Louis could think about was his sisters and mother. And how he wouldn't ever see Doris or Ernest grow up to be three, or see Lottie be the huntress she always wanted to be.

He wouldn't see Fizzy and make sure she doesn't kill Phoebe and  Daisy when they bothered the absolute shit out of her. And his heart hurt when he thought about not being able to fulfill that educational promise he had made them for years.

But what made Louis mourn the most was the thought of never seeing his mother again. She already lost one man in her life, and now she's going to lose her son as well. He was supposed to be there after their father left, Louis was supposed to protect her like he never could. He was supposed to make up for his father's mistakes, but here he is now.

In a damn court room, exposing himself.

Harry suddenly stopped looking at him, and down at his lap instead.

"You two have also been convicted of attempting to exploit the kingdom of its rumored crimes to the Creatures as a method of an anarchy to develop. Guilty or not guilty?" The woman asks.

Louis and Sam both look at each other, and with a sigh, they looked back at her with their monotonous voiced and said,

"Guilty."

The woman then nodded, before stepping away from her vertical stand and spreading her arms, motioning for both sides of the room to begin discussing whether the pair of boys are guilty or not guilty.

The Red Silks were more furious, and started banging their fists on their tables in front of them.

"I say we cut their touches and feet it to the Basilisks!" Louis heard one of them roar.

"No, why don't we skin them alive and cost their living flesh with salt!" Another suggested, aloud.

The Blue Silks were more calm, and tried their best to justify their actions.

"Maybe they didn't mean to do it." One small voice perked up, earning groans of disagreement.

"They didn't mean to do it all eleven times?" One argued, and that was all to it.

The gavel banged and all was silent.

The woman let out a little "ahem, ahem" before speaking once again.

"It has been decided between both parties that the malefactors will be locked in the dungeon for thirteen years, due to their young age and antics."

And with that, both sides began to collect their things and guards came up to take them both away.

Of course, Louis was not having that.

"Wait!" He yelled out, causing all the commotion to come to a halt.

King Harry also raised his hand, cashing everyone to sit back down.

Louis thanked him with his eyes before continuing.

"This isn't court. Court is not supposed to just be up to one type of party to decide what or what not my intentions were. That's not fair or what this criminal justice system should be about!" Louis explained, earning some interested stares.

King Harry looked the most intrigued, fascinated, even.

"Sam, stand up." Louis whispered to the boy who was still kneeling.

"What?" Sam whispered back.

"Stand up." Louis says sharply but hushed.

"Louis, don't make our sentence longer.." Sam whined, but still stood up as though he had nothing to lose, except his life, of course.

Louis gestured to the alpha besides him and went on, "My friend Sam and I have been breaking into the Enchanted Forest. Yes, but can you blame us? We don't have enough food to even make an ant survive for a year, let alone us." Louis pointed out Sam's protruding ribcages from his dirty, white shirt.

"And banishing us to one of the most dirty and unhygienic place in all of Stellarum gives us every right to be angry and wanting some way to let our voices be heard! If you alphas were in our situation, you would have killed us by now! But oh no, just because two omegas broke into your Forest to protect their people, we must be locked up and convicted for treason." Louis finished, allowing the voices of agreement to rise up.

The woman looked scared. Scared for Louis and Sam. Frightened out of her own skin. She flickered her eyes towards the king who was sitting up on his throne, with an expression that was purely unreadable. The woman looked at Louis as though she wished he just went along with the sentence they were granted with.

Sam probably noticed that look too, because he practically moaned in distress once King Harry stood up from his throne and caused everyone to gasp and some to even bite their lips in trepidation.

Harry stepped down the aisle and walked towards the two boys, each step making a great click sound from the short, flat heels his boots had on the bottom. You could smell the apprehension and feel the perturbation with each step he took, and this feeling continued until Harry was face to face with Louis, only three inches of space separating the two.

Louis stood tall and his head high, his eyes taking in the creatures face in front of him. Harry was the more enthralling up close. Every inch of milky white skin worked perfectly with the ebony ink that was patted upon his skin in strange shapes and words. There were five deep gashes on the side of his face, deep and looked as though they were still fresh.

His blood shot eyes were in a swirl pattern, and really made the king's glaucous colored eyes stand out prominently. There was something to the man's pupils that were like black holes, drawing Louis in deeper and deeper. It was as though Harry's eyes were the moon and Louis' blood was the sea.

Harry's hand reached out and the back of it stroked Louis' cheekbones, and the king closed his eyes in contentment. Louis' breathe hitched and so did everyone else's in the room. But it felt as though they weren't there, only him and the alpha.

Harry opened his eyes before turning to face the rest of the room and spoke up for the first time he had been here.

"Take the Mergunt alpha to the Saultem and bring him to the the main two advisors, and with the omega," Harry dared not to look back at the enthralling thing behind him,

"-and with the omega, take him to my Locus."

And with that stated, Harry walked out of the court in an instant, leaving the room, along with Sam, behind him staggered, and Louis breathless.

And the last thing the two boys remember are two arms taking them away, but not to the dungeons.

But somewhere where their past will die and where their future will lie.

.  
.  
.  
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	8. Brainwashing and Dinner Dates

SAM DIDN'T SLEEP ALL LAST NIGHT, NOT ONE BIT. Instead he was carried roughly by the guards last night by the arms, and dragged away like a rag doll across the Castle and into somewhere unfamiliar.

"Put me down! Louis! L-Louis!" Sam yelled for his friend, feeling his anxiety ready to burst out from the dam he kept built all this time.

Sam didn't know what was going on, one minute he was in a court room besides his omega friend and the next he was taken away once the king gave an order. From there, all he saw were flashes of white gloves snatching him up and out.

He also saw Louis screaming something to him, but he didn't hear what. Sam didn't hear anything, actually.

"Pl-please! I can't b-b-breathe," Sam sobbed, not being able to walk, forced, and handle the spinning of his head at the same time. He just needed to stop. He needed it to stop.

But it never stops. The panic. The weakness. It makes Sam feel useless, it makes him feel like he wasn't supposed to be here, that he was just a birth defect. It was just that, Sam felt scared all the damn time. His fear would consume him, it defines him.

Every action Sam does, every thought he thinks, he leaves it all to his discomposure to control how he's going to react towards them. Every second of every day, he feels some sort of bomb ticking in his head, waiting for the worst to happen.

Sam can never be truly happy. It doesn't work for him like that. As soon as something goes right, he waits for something to go wrong. Because the feeling of happiness never settles in with him, nor does the feeling of content.

You could dig deeper, and figure out why Sam is scared, why Sam is always worried. The image of being tossed out like the rinds of fruit once his sweetness has been used up, is terrifying to the alpha. Being shunned and rejected is something Sam never wants to go through.

Again.

Again, another word that could be one of the most ugliest, depending on you. Meaning what happened before, which is the probability of the worst, comes back and you face the same traumatic experience. Sam hates the word again.

He doesn't want to be rejected, again.

He doesn't want to be tossed away, again.

He doesn't want to be weak.

He doesn't want to be scared.

He doesn't want to be a coward.

He doesn't want to be.

Hot tears streamed down his face, the saltiness coming to his lips and burning the open cuts from dehydration and it's broken skin. But he ignored the pain. He had to ignore the pain.

Sam hates crying.

He doesn't want to cry.

Why was he crying?

Alphas weren't, aren't supposed to be crying.

Then why the fuck was he crying?

The boy couldn't breathe at all, each inhale he took felt like he was sucking in more perturbation, and every exhale felt like the essence of his pneuma was trying to escape his body all at once.

"P-please.." Sam pleaded once more, but it came out as a whisper of defeat. A whisper of surrender. A whisper of submissiveness.

That's something Sam is good at, surrendering.

His feet felt as though they were being stabbed by small knives repeatedly, and his sobs became louder whenever he opened his mouth.

'Stop!' Sam wanted to scream at himself, 'Stop being so infirm!'

But he didn't.

He just let himself be heaved like a rag, cleaning up the dirt that is his poor excuse for strength.

Sam knew he only had one strength. One glowing ball of pure love, joy, pride, trust, and courage.

Louis.

You see, your own strength doesn't always belong in you. It sometimes is in someone or something else. Whenever you feel like all is lost, just a drifting thought of that one thing or person could make you feel encouraged, strong. And that is what strength is all about, that's what it's supposed to do.

That's what Louis Tomlinson does for Sam.

Everything about Louis gave him will, it gave him courage. Louis' smile, laugh, jokes, lame speeches, and comfort made him want to continue, it wanted him to wake another day to just hear that laugh, speech, and joke one more time. Many more times, actually.

Louis was the type of person to have faith in everything and everyone. Sam remembers when he called himself a mistake, and that his family probably did the right thing to shun a defect. A virus.

But Louis didn't take that, he wouldn't take that.

Louis reminded him that emotions shouldn't be limited to one species, and that the ones who feel as though it is are the viruses in the world. Emotions shouldn't be a privilege to anyone. Emotions are natural. And jarring them up inside beings out the worst of you, which explains why their society ended up this way.

It funny how something so simple causes something so big.

With Louis, Sam's fear becomes his shadow.

Louis feels like home, comforting and blissful.

Louis was home.

Louis was the privilege in his life.

Seeing beauty in all is a hard task. There will be things out there that will make you angry. They will make you want to scream in rage. They will make you hate.

And hate is the most powerful feeling. Some may confuse it with love.

No, love is not the most powerful feeling.

As much as it is the most positive, but that's in its own category. Overall, hate is the most powerful. Hate can kill, hate can destroy, hate can torture. Being hateful in any sort of of way will form its own atmosphere around you, and keep you trapped.

The atmosphere is thick. Its filled with poisonous air and ebony clouds that will blue your vision into always seeing the biased areas of your conservative mind. Your mind is the universe. Don't just leave constellations with insufferable meanings.

Suddenly, memories of Louis hit Sam like a stallion.

As the old legend they used to tell the small omegas, when you remember someone you truly love, the memories are a golden color.

And they weren't wrong.

It was as though he was back in the Lowlands, laughing around the fire with Louis again. Fizzy was shouting at Phoebe and Daisy when they held a spider next to her ear. Lottie's head was on Jay's shoulder as the mother was attempting to roast pieces of meat that they were blessed with from the Highlanders, (even though Louis fought long and hard to not eat the meat because his body is not going to consume a being that once had a family as well).

 

The two were with Brendon and Akinyi, sharing what they would do if they were in charge of the kingdom. (And Sam certainly did not forget how Brendon said he would put mermaids in everyone's private lake). Louis was resting his head on Sam's shoulder, and saying how if he was every king of the castle, he would make sure that everyone was equal and valid.

And Sam almost chuckled when he remembered when how after that Louis and their other friend Daniel were pretending to throw each other in the fire as sacrifices. Not as violent as it sounds, really.

He also remembered the last thing Louis had said to him that glorious night:

"I won't promise to solve every problem you have, because frankly, you have a lot of them. But I do promise that whatever state of mind you're in, I'll be by your side. Mentally and physically."

The golden memories turn grey when Sam realizes where he was.

But even though he was bleeding crimson from the digging nails of the guards, and his hair was a mop of dirt, and he could feel his lips shed,

he was smiling.

And if that isn't strength, Sam doesn't know what is.

Sam looked up at the guards who were still dragging him across the halls, turning sharp lefts and rights. They had emotionless faces, as though they were some sort of robotic creatures who were scripted and programmed to follow a certain way.

They weren't affected at all by the amount of torture they were causing the alpha, and Sam knew that, unfortunately for his case, they didn't care either.

Machine men with machine hearts. That is all Sam could label them as. These men don't even know how enslaved they really were. The kingdom doesn't give a shit about them, the kingdom doesn't give a sit about anyone, in fact. Power is something everyone is bloodthirsty for, and sadly, it is always chosen over any form of life.

Even though Sam was the one who was being physically tormented, these workers were prisoners of their own minds. Locked in the cage of ignorance, and the real people in power had the key.

The guards suddenly stopped, causing Sam to look up in front of him in confusion.

It was a door.

Just a plain, white, door.

The door had no marks, no design, or any sign of specks of dust on it at all. It was a clean slate, and was the color of pure snow, and the glow of the dim burnt orange of the hung torches on the walls did not affect it one bit.

Sam sniffled before furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, and then one of the guards dropped his grip on him while the other one still clutched the alpha tighter than he did before.

The guard made his way to the pure shite door knob, and with his red latex gloves, he turned handle and didn't push the door open quite yet.

Sam was then let go by the shoulders, but grabbed by the neck, and a foot with sharp heels was placed upon his back.

"A-ah!" Sam shouted in excruciating pain.

The door was opened and Sam was pushed in quickly, before the door was closed again and made a click locking sound.

Sam curled himself in a ball with his eyes shut tight, his cries didn't echo, although Sam didn't hear any person or thing move or make any signs of communication.

Sam opened his eyes and then let out a loud shout (which he didn't hear) when he saw that the room was definitely not ordinary. And it was definitely not real, and was made by magic.

It was all white.

Everything was pure white. The floors, the ceiling, the walls, not even a shadow could be seen. It was as though God forgot to create a background for this scene in his life.

Sam got up and started to walk around, still ignoring the tears that dried up on his cheeks.

His feet didn't make a sound, neither did the clapping of his hands. Sam screamed and shouted, hoping for something to echo, for him to hear his own voice, but nothing. It was dead silent. So he tried again, and again, and again to get himself heard somehow. He jumped, shouted, cried, sobbed, laughed, and even fell in purpose for some sort of noise.

The silence was killing him.

He ran, too. He ran across the 'room' for who know how many miles. Sam kept taking deep breathes and kept running in all directions to see if there was a way out of this room, but it was endless.

Before, he kept crashing his body into the door. He tried to knock it down with his fists and screaming for anyone or anything to hear him, but instead his body bruised purples and blues while his knuckles bled. The blood from the wounds fell down but disappeared immediately once they hit the white floor.

It was as though you could not taint the pure.

The door itself had shrunk tinier and timer until the knob wasn't even existent any more. A thick coat of white devoured the door itself. Sam was stuck.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Sam tried to scream but it was just a mouth of words. He scratched his nails along the white, but he was just touching the white air.

He needed some noise.

The silence was killing him internally.

It was consuming him alive. First it snatched his voice and swallowed it to make it its own. And the loud ringing of the stentorian false tranquility in the room made him of unsound mind.

He tried to think, to attempt to drift away in to the corners of his memories and be there again with Louis by his side and everything would be okay.

But the only problem was that he couldn't think.

His thoughts were also a blank ivory desert.

Sam slowly slid and sat down on the floor he was standing on, and tried once again to shut his eyes and drift away.

And it was working. He saw Louis once again, as though he could almost touch him, laugh with him. It was so surreal and he never knew his imagination could be this powerful. The setting around them both was oddly familiar, the vines and towering trees confirmed to Sam that they were in the forest.

"Sam! Come on! I see the waterfall!" Louis shouts excitedly, holding onto the alpha's hands, pulling him closer to a stream of running water.

"Louis slow down, my feet are hurting already." Sam whines, earning a famous Tomlinson eye roll from Louis.

"Didn't I tell you to wear your good shoes? You came here with that bear skin rag slipper mum got you for your birthday." Louis snorted.

Sam smiles, "I like them. They're comfy."

Louis sarcastically scoffs, "Obviously not comfy enough to make you walk faster, come on now!"

Sam nods and comes along with his small friend, not caring when he gets wet from the crystal clear water that dropped from above the two.

The door seemed familiar, it looked like it was about to fall down from stress at any minute. Spider webs were knitted in the corners and a foul smell radiated from it.

Sam knew this door, but from where?

"Lou, I have a bad feeling about this.." Sam whispered.

Louis shook his head, "Oh come on, Sam, we have been planning this witch trip for ages. Let's just go."

Then Sam froze.

The witch.

Before he could yank Louis away, the omega already opened the door and pulled both of them inside. This time, the witch wasn't asleep, neither was she alive.

Her head was removed from her body, and her arms and legs were amputated in scattered areas of the room, stitched to perfection.

Sam wanted to scream, but it came out as the white silence he knew unfortunately too well. Louis, on the other hand, continued to display that toothy smile, which was once warm and friendly but now cold and haunting, and continued to speak to the separated corpse.

"-- Future. We're not leaving until you show us ours." Louis says, triggering Sam of a rough deja vu.

Sam then wanted to move and drag Louis out of there, but his feet were glued to the ground and arms refused to move one inch. So all he was left to do was watch.

He couldn't wake up from his thoughts. He couldn't open his eyes.

He was stuck.

The witch's head suddenly started to leak a black liquid from an open wound that dogged deep on the side of her temple. It oozed out and it's consistency was thick like lava.

Then all at once it started to get thicker and thicker, each drop layering one on top of the other.

Soon the whole pile of ebony ink joined into a giant lump and Sam watched in horror as Louis watched in excitement. The lump became rounder and large white spots popped out in contrast, acting as eyes and a mouth.

It had some sort of glutinous arms sticking out of the small pool of sable hydrous. Some ivory, razor sharp teeth soon formed into place and a wicked smirk covering the outside.

The creature then got larger and became and morphed into something like a beast. It's back was hunched and had false horns that balanced on top of its head. The white spots that were supposed to be eyes then formed into beating red spots that looked like fire. The beast was large and broad, and turned to Louis, starting to speak which caused Sam to shudder with fear.

"I- I love you! Wh-why won't you L-love me? I love you!" The beast screamed into Louis' face, but the omega's face still remained that frozen toothy smile.

"Love me! Why won't you love me?" The beast cried, its claws digging into Louis' skin, but no sound came out from the boy, it was as though he had changed into a rag doll himself.

"Stop it, you're going to kill him!" Sam's own voice scared him when it finally came out.

The inky ebony beast then turned around and let go of Louis, throwing him down like he was a rind of fruit, and then fell apart back into the black lump it once was before. It then formed into something of color. With blue eyes and shaggy blond hair, along with details like a sharp noise with a single freckle on the tip.

The character was Sam, himself.

This Sam walked over to him and started to weep aloud in despondency and despair.

"Why'd you let him, Sam?" The creature in front of him sobbed loudly, tears leaking out of his eyes. "Why'd you let him die?"

Sam wanted to open his mouth, he wanted to push the thing in front of him away and grab Louis and run away. But he couldn't. He stayed and listened.

"Why'd you let him get Louis, Sam?" The emulating thing weeped, pointing behind him and sniveled louder, "Why!?"

Sam looked at what he was pointing at and let out a loud ululate, wanting to close his eyes so badly.

There Louis was. Bleeding out on the ground with a large claw mark that was ripped into his skin. The same toothy smile expression was plastered onto his face. Sam looked over and tried to muffle a cried sob when he realized there was a large opening in where Louis' heart should be, and then Sam wailed when he saw the pure barbarity and bestiality.

The imitation in front of him continued to scream "Why?" Over and over and over again, making Sam close his ears and start bellowing,

"Shut up! Shut up! Just shut up!"

He pulled his hair and shook his head violently, trying to snap out of the amount of noise that was surrounding him.

 

He needed the silence. No, he needed his thoughts to be silenced.

Sam's eyes suddenly opened and he was then surrounded by the white room once again. He kept his seekers wide open, not daring to blink in case he was going to be teleported back into the dark place he calls a mind.

Sam sat down and shuddered, not wanting to even remember what he had just went through. His thoughts and memories were poison.

His eyes flickered across the white room and shuddered even more when he realized that there was nothing in here for miles and miles to come. Sam's hands were sweating and head was throbbing,mad though he had a second heart in there. A second heart.

Sam didn't even notice he was holding in his breathe until he let out an exhale, and he suddenly felt that something was wrong, something was tainted.

And something was.

In the center of the flooring, there stood a small black dot. Sam didn't know whether to feel terrified or to feel relived. He crawled like a helpless stray dog, too exhausted to walk or even stand. As he grew nearer and nearer to the black dot, it turned out it was much more.

A black box with an emerald displayed on the top.

Sam was hesitant and cautious at first, but his hands eventually grabbed the box in front of him. It was small and light, as though it was empty and hollowed out. The pads of his fingers lightly hovered over the emerald, not wanting to cause any damage to the beautiful gem.

Sam lightly tapped the emerald, feeling it press down gently and back up like a broken button. He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw the green color of the gem go away and suddenly turn into a vibrant blue, like putting dye into a pond.

The now blue button then glowed brightly, radiating some sort of heavy heat throughout the room, and shined in all its power towards the white walls. In the blink of an eye, the once unpigmented area turned into a holographic-like space, splattered in black. The walls also had moving balls of white, representing stars, on them; the floor the same.

It looked like what Stellarum means, Land Of The Stars.

 

Sam gasped once he saw the door to the White Room open once again, and he crawled towards it to escape, but it closed and became apart of the new background.

Just as he was about to scream in frustration and failure, something tapped him on the shoulder.

Sam turned around and furrowed his eyebrows when he could see anything there. But them the tap occurred again and a thick, black shadow appeared, extending a hand.

Sam didn't shout or protest one bit, because somehow, his heart didn't sense danger. He wasn't fearful.

Sam expected his hand to go straight through the black shadow, but instead he grabbed onto the shadow hand and was lifted up from the ground below him.

The shadow held onto the boy's hand and then started to glide across the open space, in a direction that it knew was familiar.

Sam just stared at it in awe. It had no eyes, no mouth, and no human features on the outside or inside, it was just a simple silhouette. It was translucent and you could see the stars through its body shape, which left Sam awestruck.

They reached a portion of the large space where Sam saw some figures below in a circle. They hovered down and then stepped closer to the circle and joined the circle.

Sam felt his heart drop and knees go weak.

Those figures were creatures, magical creatures. They all looked lifeless, as though they had no mind of their own. In the middle of the circle, there was a spinning ball of golden light. The same color of the light happy memories are.

Sam tried his best to look away, but the shadow grabbed ahold of his face and forced him to look at the glowing ball.

It felt as though all of the happiness in Sam's world was being extracted  by the second. All of his laughs, joys, hobbies, and merriment suddenly were stretched out of his mind and the lustrous yellow was pulled away to be gathered into the burning orb.

"Let me go!" Sam said in a deep voice, but was it was muffled by the loud chanting of the magical creatures, which were monotonous and completely out of it.

"We will serve the king. We will submit to the king. We will protect the king. We will serve the king. We will submit to the king. We will protect the king," they said these words in unison, sounding sickly and depressed.

Sam felt his body weaken and turn despairing. The doors that he once held inside of him were grey and dull. He too fell on his knees and stared at the glowing orb as though it was his only salvation from the horrors of existence.

Sam's mouth started moving and he didn't even realizing himself changing,

"We will serve the king. We will submit to the king. We will protect the king. We will serve the king. We will submit to the king. We will protect the king."

Over and over and over again.

-

 

LOUIS CAN'T RECALL WHY HE WOKE UP IN A Comfortable manner. His back didn't ache as it usually would. He felt his naked legs move against the rich purple silk beneath his body glide perfectly smooth and feel blissful.

A flash of morning sun light hit his closed eyes, warming them up and revealing the vibrant flashes of oranges and reds that it produced in all of its sun rise glory.

The omega crinkled his nose once he felt a slight discomfort on his scalp. It was like a slight tugging and small twisting here and there for his hair. Louis also felt his face being patted on by a sponge which was covered with some sort of cool liquid.

Louis opened his eyes and gasped in surprise, startling the woman above him who was caught in the act of dolling the omega up while he was in a slumber.

The woman had large coffee eyes with grey rings surrounding them, which stood out greatly. She had light salt and pepper hair, even though her face looked as though she wasn't a day over eighteen.

Louis then studied her closer, quickly interested at the creature in front of him. He does know what the majority of the castle servants were, omegas and Human Elves.

Human Elves were very submissive and lenient things. Their soul purpose was to find a master and serve them till the day they die. And by the look of the woman, she definitely fit the description of one.

"Oh, did I wake you? I didn't mean to! Please don't report me, my Luna." The woman says in a rushed voice, jumping away from the side of the bed Louis was laying down in.

Louis quickly forced himself off the soft pillow which was stuffed with the lightest of feathers and cotton, immediately missing the warm feeling upon himself, but did his best to connect his feet with the hardwood floor that was below his heart-shaped bed, wincing a little once his feet, which were warm, touched the coldness of the flooring.

Louis touched his face and rubbed his cheeks, then looked at his hands and saw that some skin colored makeup was now on his palms. He furrowed his eyebrows and also touched his hair (something he hadn't cut in ages, due to obvious circumstances), which felt like someone attempted to braid it.

Louis, still in shock, stared back the woman and then grabbed an oil lamp next to him and held it high as a weapon.

It was utterly stupid, you know, holding an oil lamp above your head to a creature who can snap her fingers and you'll be at your funeral. But that's all the omega's got to be intimidating, so he went with it.

"Who are you and what were you doing with my unconscious body?" Louis asks, trying to deepen his voice but it ends up being five pitches higher than it was before.

The Elf squeaked and shook her head, trying to hide her face in her arms.

"Nothing! I promise, my Luna! I was just doing my duties, taking care of my queen! And then I saw your pretty face and prettier hair, so I just.. I'm sorry Luna." She sniffles, and tears began streaming down her face.

Louis put the lamp down slowly, and his eyes flickered around the room, not knowing what to do. So the boy walks over to the side of the bed the Elf was sitting near, and sat next to her awkwardly.

"Hey.. You don't have to cry.. I'm sorry for scaring you.." Louis starts, but fails as the Elf starts crying even harder than before.

"I failed! I dishonored my family! I soiled the good Elf name! I am a disgrace!" The Elf sobbed into Louis' shirt, (which was also changed into soft cotton, and the omega did not remember changing before he passed out.)

Louis patted her head, yet again awkwardly, trying his best to soothe her down so he could start shooting down some question.

"No! No, you do didn't dishonor anyone at all! I love my hair, and whatever this is on my face." Louis falsely assured, feeling a small victory when the Elf looked up and sniffled.

"Really?" She asks in a small voice.

"Really," Louis wipes a stray tear that was streaming down her face, "I promise."

The Elf then squeals and hugs Louis, catching him by surprise, and stands up with her hand extended, but then takes it back quickly before Louis can shake it and she bows instead.

"My name is Mira Synx, and it is a honor to be serving you, my Luna." Mira says.

Louis raises an eyebrow, "Luna? I'm not your Luna."

A Luna was the name for an omega queen, or a female leader of the pack. There hasn't been a Luna in charge of Stellarum for decades, and that only happens if the King refuses to marry or mate.

"Of course you, are my Queen. Did you sleep well, or are you still a tad tired?" The Elf asks, putting the back of her hand on Louis' forehead.

Louis nods and moves her hand away before frowning in confusion, and then his droopy eyes open wide.

The bed, the comfort, the atmosphere, the smell, the hesitance, it all slapped Louis in the face in realization.

He wasn't in the Lowlands.

Yesterday wasn't a dream.

He was in the Highlands.

The King's locus, or private floor.

Louis covers his mouth with his hand to muffle a scream that was bubbling up from the back of his throat, and he looked around in disgust. A thumping in his head doesn't stop as he remembers all of the events from yesterday, coming at him like a bullet.

But what really stands out, is the fact that he doesn't have the most important thing in his life standing by him.

Louis stares back at the Elf with a glare before asking loudly, "Where is Sam? What did you all do with him!"

Mira's bottom lip trembles again, "I don't know what you're talking about, my Luna."

Louis comes closer to her until her back is against the wall, "Quit calling me your damn Luna! Where is Sam!?"

Mira pouts before huffing and mumbling, "Now, I didn't want to do this, but you do leave me no choice."

Louis furrows his eyebrows, "Where's my brother? He needs me!"

Mira sighs again before screaming, "Praesidiums!"

The door bursts open with two men in uniforms Louis knew too well, and grabbed him off of the Castle Elf he was mounted on top of.

"Stop! Where's my brother!? What did you do with him!?" Louis screamed louder, trying to break from the grips of the two alphas, but it was useless, being an omega.

The Elf huffed and moved her wild hair out of her face before smiling robotically and saying almost scripted, "King Styles is expecting you on 5 o'clock sharp. He has prepared a lunch date for you two."

Before Louis gets to say anything else, he is pinned down to the kill bed once again, and some needle is stuck into his arm, a liquid is swirling in side his body and fighting with his blood. His eyes grow heavy and tired once again and his body goes limp, the last thing he here's before Louis goes back into a deep slumber is,

"We will serve the king, we will submit to the king, we will prote-..."

And all goes blank.

.  
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	9. Stubborn Queens and Roses

"WHERE IS HE? WHY IS HE LATE?" HARRY ROARED ONCE The guards come back empty handed, panting as though they ran to make it back to the King.

Harry was is in the Garden of White Roses, awaiting the young omega to be presented in front of him. His loud voice echoed, even with the raging pouring of the stream that was the color of a thousand crystals, putting the real gems to shame.

Over one thousand unpigmented roses were compacted together in a large pentagon, having about one mile of free green grass in the middle. A buffet was arrayed neatly on a mat in front of Harry, and a whole array of different types of meals were placed on top of glass plates, embossed with flowers.

Cheese, garlic bread, sandwiches, turkey, steamed lobster, and sweet treats such as sugar cookies and chocolate brownies were all served, the aroma was tantalizing, and awaiting another guest to arrive and be devoured. A special guest.

The guards bowed once again before shaking their heads, "My king, Luna Tomlinson refuses to open the door to the Locus. It seems as though he may have found a way to keep it shut."

Harry stood up and the stupidity of his guards infuriated him to the extent of his vermillion colored eyes burning like hot coals, causing him to close them and open them again in impatience.

"You're coming back, empty handed, to tell me that none of you are able to open the door from a Mergunt omega?" Harry bellows.

The guards seemed to grow smaller, squinting and flinching in perturbation, not wanting to be victims of their King's outburst of uncontrollable exasperation.

"Sir," one guard squeaked out, causing the rest of the men to back away in fear of what's to come.

"The Luna has informed us to transfer a message. He would like for you be apprised with the knowledge that... That he will not be attending.." The guard said small.

Harry's face washed with the purest of a perturbed expression.

"He what?" His voice sounded as though it was ready to explode in daggers.

".. He .. Wanted you to know that.." The guard attempted to start again but this time was cut off by Harry's sudden growling.

"Bring me the omega by force, then. I don't care if he screams, pleads, or cries. Bring him to me at once." Harry commanded in his Alpha voice, mixed in with the beast essence.

The guards looked at each other with uneasiness, knowing that one wrong move could cause them to be executed on the spot. The atmosphere turns thick and tense, Harry's provoked spirit overpowered the running stream.

"But my King, the Luna seems mentally volatile in his actions as well, it'll be too much-" a guard attempts to reason.

But the fool should know one rule by now:

1\. Never go against a Styles' order.

Harry, with his superlative momentum, pins the imprudent guard to a nearby tree by his neck, feeling his throat throb in his hands as he attempts to swallow. The heat that comes off causes Harry's dark claws to grow even more ebony and sharp, digging in deep.

The guard makes a inhuman sound from inside his body as his face grows a vibrant indigo, desperate for a breath of air. Blood draws and leaks down like wet paint, as though Harry was pressing the life out of him. The alpha feels the thumping of the neck, and how lovely the false expiry smells, making the King want to take a bite.

Instead, he brought his mouth to the guard's ear, loosened his grip, and whispered in a slow, snake like voice. It was haunting, and causing shivers to roll down the victim's spine, as though he was a pitiful mouse preparing to be devoured by a venomous cobra.

"I don't like any form of lèse-majesté, indentured servant. So why must you go question my sovereignty?" Harry's muse came out more like a hiss, warm words sounding as sweet as butterscotch, but had a bitter intention.

"-A-ah! M-m-my k-king, I c-can't--" The guard tries to spit out, but let's out a blood curling scream once he feels the infamous nails dig into his paper skin once again.

Harry tries to suppress a demonic smile, but fails once he feels his cheeks starting to clench from smirking on one side too hard. The feeling of having a life force he could easily take away by just one more squeeze of his firsts made him feel something great, something powerful. As though he could control destiny, as though he could control someone else's faith.

Something he couldn't control in his own life was laying down right beneath his body. And if that wasn't life's greatest pleasure, he didn't know what else was. For power always won his heart over anything else.

"Careful now, wouldn't want to waste your breath," Harry spat sarcastically, the alpha looked down at the man's physique and made a tsk tsk noise once the guard's blue trousers turned a dark navy from obvious urination and sweat.

"How pitiful," Harry murmured in disgust.

He pulled out his nails from the man's throat. The apathetic King's hand then trailed down to his guard's chest, and pressed down his palm onto his beating heart. The feeling was extraordinary, feeling it beating against the excruciatingly crisp, hot skin, and wondering how it would quiver in a fist.

Every instinct inside him was pushing Harry, desperately begging him to press his hand inside and pull out the heart.

Pushing him over the edge,

Continuing to push,

And push,

And push,

And push,

And push.

And once Harry rigged his hands into the thick layer of skin, feeling the enhancement of his wondrous power come in to full play, he stopped and looked up, trying his best to ignore the scream of pain and agony the guard let's out. The king knows that it will take one firm press and the heart will crumble into ashes, and the one beneath him will be erased forever.

But as much to Harry's regret, he looked into his guard's eyes.

Blue. They were blue.

Are, He should say rather.

His eyes, Louis' eyes. Those were the first things that Harry had noticed about him. His eyes. Some would say that they were just blue, the color of the sky. But Harry saw something more. Something great and powerful.

There, in those simple iris' held the whole world. With the specks of green to represent the lush fields and hills, with the soft cerulean that displayed the seas that the mermaids dove in and the skies hummingbirds flew in. It fascinated the king, made him want to look at those eyes repeatedly until he got sick of them. But how could he?

There were something else to his eyes, though. But they weren't in the iris', but in the pupils. Harry has seen million pairs of eyes in his life time, and they all hold the same look.

Fear.

The look of fear along with disgust. Those eyes always avoided looking into Harry's, always to frightened to even make one wrong move. Their eyes held a certain kind of consternation. Trepidation. Perturbation.

But not his.

Louis' held something different. Something real. Determination, courage, and curiosity. And as hard as Harry was trying to intensify the pressure of his gaze, to push the dismay into those black holes of his, he couldn't. Louis stared directly back, as though he was trying to transfer something into Harry's eyes.

Empathy.

Yes, Louis Tomlinson's eyes were very special.

The blue in his guard's eyes morphed into his, his.

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling his own eyes grow heavy and burning like hot coals once again. The King pressed them closed and tried to force his hands close rough enough to crush the heart.

But he couldn't.

It was as though something, someone, had grabbed his mind and was playing cat's cradle with his veins.

Harry grabbed the heart before shoving his fist back inside his guard's body, hearing a deep inhale of life once again.

This caused Harry to feel something else. Something he has never felt before. Relief. But relief of what? Is this what he wanted, life? No. He didn't not want life. He wanted authority. But the authority to kill, or the authority to rule?

His head throbbed as though a second heart was implanted on the side, and he grabbed it in small pain, trying his best to maintain his posture. Harry unmounted from the guard that was still pinned on the tree, letting the man go in a scurry and a pitiful crawl.

Harry looked back at the rest of his men, seeing the trepidation in them caused him to snarl and dust off the dirt that was tainted onto his suit, before he could spit out any more orders or commands, an accented voice piped up from behind them.

"Hey now! Let's all not get too carried away, eh?"

Harry clenched his jaw before turning around with narrowed eyes, "Killian, right now is not the time."

Killian, a tall man with dark, thick eyebrows and a bright smile walked into the crowd, swatting some of the guard men on the shoulders to signal them to move.

"With all due respect, my king," Killian chuckled, swinging an arm around Harry, "I believe I arrived at just the right time. If I hadn't, I think we'd be having human meat for the next three Royal dinners, eh?"

Harry gripped Killian's arm off of him, walking a small, furious, five steps away from his old friend, causing the thick eyebrowed lad to let out a low whistle.

"You're excused, men. I would like a moment alone with my friend." Killian commands, causing the guards to nod with pleasure and relief, before they all bowed and scurried away like cockroaches seeing light.

Killian walks over to Harry after the silhouettes of the guards turned from large figures to small ants in the distance, and then he starts speaking with his violent rage.

"What the hell was that?!" Killian yelled, facing Harry's back when the king turned away.

"I don't know.." Harry replied back, his hands flying to his eyes immediately and rubbing them roughly, trying to soothe the striking pain that kept minding a way to creep it's way out.

Killian furrowed his eyebrows before stomping a foot, "You don't know? What the hell do you mean you don't know!? You could have fucking killed him!"

It seemed as though Harry was attempting to claw his eyes out by the way he was digging into the sockets, rubbing up and down repeatedly, "I didn't."

Killian put his right hand on Harry's shoulder, turning him over to face him.

"You didn't? All the man did was give a thought and his heart was ripped out and displayed right in front of his eyes! Have you lost your damn mind!"

"You have been shape shifting again to eavesdrop, haven't you?" Harry asks angrily.

"I'll do whatever it takes to make sure your mind doesn't consume you, My King." Killian grits his teeth.

As much as Harry wanted to argue with Killian, the excessive pounding in his head tore him away from doing so. It felt has though his brain had grown thicker, and the other organs were heavier than they were before.

Harry shook his head, "There's something that held me back... I think it's getting weaker.."

Killian scoffed, "Really? Is it getting weaker or are you? One thing that questions your power is being destroyed under your name! Don't you know what this weakness of yours is causing--"

"Don't you think I know what I'm causing!" Harry snapped, before a sharp pang of pain stung through his temple, as though a match was being pressed against it.

Harry grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled I'm stress mixed with agony. Killian places a hand on his friend's back, trying to soothe him down but quickly retreats it once Harry's voice got deeper and mixed with venom.

"Something is changing in it. I can feel it moving, shifting. It's not getting weaker, it's getting more powerful." Harry tries, sounding like he had something stuck in his throat.

Killian swallowed the lump in his throat, "You're the one getting weaker, Harry. What happens once it,"

Harry shakes his head, "That won't happen."

"Harry--"

"No," Harry seethes, "I will make sure it stays in here." He points to his head.

Killian bites his lip, "It's not supposed to be anywhere in you. The prophecy says,"

Harry shoves the man, "The prophecy says a lot of shit. It won't reach my heart, it won't."

Killian let's out a humorless laugh, "You can't just ignore what destiny has written for you! You out of all people should know that."

Harry gets closer to his companion, "Maybe I can't ignore it, but I can sure as hell rewrite it."

Killian jumped back when Harry falls on his knees and let's out a roar of frustration, as though he was going to battle in his own body, which was exactly what was happening.

Prophecy.

We all have our own, but surely not as gruesome as Harry's.

Killian takes a step back, "You and I both know you can't. That's why the omega is in your locus right now, isn't it?"

Harry attempts to stand up, "No--"

Killian scoffs, "No? Then tell me my king, why isn't he left to rot like the other one?"

Harry bites his lip down until it draws blood, "I need him. It needs him,"

Killian feels his heart leap and faith restoring. His knees go weak from the news.

"He's the one then, isn't he? The one from the prophecy?" He asks quickly, gasping in delight.

"His eyes fit the description, they fit the feeling." Harry breathes out, admittingly.

It was silent, uncomfortable and long. Harry and Killian just stared at each others as though they were having a full conversation just like that. Killian's eyes softened, and were filled with joy. While Harry's eyes were filled with some type of hesitance and torment of some kind.

Killian looks around before saying in a hushed whisper, "He.. The omega can... Can change it?"

Harry looks down before meeting his friend's face once again, nodding, "If he is who I think he is, he can change everything."

Killian bites his lip, "I'm not going to let you do it again, you know that, right?"

Harry raises an eyebrow, trying to ignore his claws digging into his skin, "Do what?"

"Let your weakness get the best of you. Make you push away the antidote." Killian refers to Louis.

"The antidote?" Harry questioned the choice of words.

"The antidote. That's all he will be for you. Don't feel forced to make this relation any thing else."

As Harry was about to reply, Killian continued with his words.

"And just so you know, your prophecy won't be fulfilled by force, either. You can't push someone into loving you. You must control your temper. Because believe it or not, you don't treat everyone as good as you do me." Killian says the last sentence very slowly and carefully.

"Would you like the same treatment, Killian?" Harry says low.

"No, no, no, no," Killian shakes his head, "I would like to continue having mental stability. And so would the omega, where is he?"

Harry's eyes go dark, "Its impossible, the thing won't even come out of the locus." Harry spits with annoyance.

Killian smiles.

"Enough with that." Harry remarks, his face scrunching up in disgust as he sees his old friend flash him a wide grin.

"Enough with what, my king?" Killian tries asking innocently.

"That face, as though you're about to request me something."

Killian shrugs, "I am."

Silence grows and so does Harry's impatience.

"What is it, then?" The alpha asks roughly, causing Killian to jump,with delight.

"Allow me to fetch your queen, my old friend." Killian suggests.

"No."

"Oh come on, Harry!" Killian pleaded.

"No."

"He has never even saw me, it'll be more safe if I go instead of any guard. For his health, I believe I should go. I'll have him here in a split second!" Killian convinced.

Harry's mind drifted off too the omega, and how he stood proudly in front of all the high justice highlanders. His face not showing a hint of regret, only determination. Harry wanted to see that face again. He needed to see that face again.

"Very well. But if you fail, I will have that smile of yours plastered on a board and hung in the Royal Hall." Harry threatens passively.

A part of Killian knew he wasn't joking, either.

"Don't you worry, I'm sure that Louis is an angel."

-

LOUIS PICKS UP ANOTHER LAMP AND THROWS IT AGAINST The stained glass on the window, trying his best to break it in any sort of way possible.

"Come on! Break you piece of shit!" Louis groaned out aloud, knocking hard with fists, hoping for some sort of friction to break through the tough surface.

He doesn't remember how long he's been like this, trying to find different ways to escape the Locus. He couldn't get out by the door, unless he wanted to get snatched by some guards. Trust him, he tried multiple times to escape through the door, and each time he ended up hitting men with his shoes and was locked inside the Locus once again.

It was as though the whole room was enchanted with some sort of boundary spell, because whenever Louis threw some object at the window in attempt to escape, it immediately bounced back and hit the wall.

It was as though it was impossible to leave these castle walls of you're a prisoner.

Louis groaned aloud in frustration, wishing he at least had Sam by his side. He knew that Sam wasn't capable of handling whatever the kingdom had in store for him, and Louis regrets bringing the poor alpha to this unplanned mission overall.

Just has Louis was beginning to dread again, a loud knock came from his door.

Louis rolled his eyes, "I'm not coming! Go away!"

The knock occurred once again.

"I said I'm not going!" Louis yells again as he stared out the stained glass window and buried his face in his knees.

Ignoring his protests, the knocking continuously pounded against the large door, causing Louis to grab the bayside window's two pillow and cover his small ears, trying to muffle the noise. The knocking did stop, eventually, allowing Louis to continue to wonder how life was continuing back home.

His mother would be depressed, just like she was when her husband left her and forced their family down to the Lowlands. Doris and Ernest are probably crying, waiting for a new story to be read to them every night.

Louis remembers how he and Sam would do hand shadow shows for the two children, trying to soothe them whenever the hunger got the best of them. Louis smiles at the memory, recalling how Sam couldn't perfect his animal shapes with his hands because he's double jointed and kept bending his fingers in odd places.

Louis frowns once he figures that Lottie will be beyond forlorn, mourning, and throwing a ritual funeral for the both of the missing boys. The omega wants to beat himself up when he remembers that he couldn't make his promise to give Lottie a proper education. A real education. An education that was more than just his mother reminding her to wash up before eating dinner and English.

Something minuscule starts crawling under Louis' eyes, causing him to let out a small squeal, but he quickly collected himself once he realized that it was just a spider.

Louis didn't fear spiders, or any sort of creatures, really. He knew that they were harmless, and deserved the same treatment that any it her being does. Louis didn't let his mental ego go towards his physical actions like most others would.

"Hello," Louis says quietly, putting out a thin index finger and allowing the long legs of the spider to mount itself on top.

It's black beady eyes shined grey through the light from the small portion of light that dusted through the room. It's soft hair was small and ebony black, as though it used some sort of real product.

"You would know a way out of here, would you?" Louis asks, his voice was low, not wanting to scare the creature away.

Louis laughed in endearment when the spider used one long leg out of eight to stoke the lads of his finger, looking like it was in awe when it saw Louis' tan skin.

Louis let out a small gasp when the spider hopped off his hand altogether, and made its way to the the floor. The omega watched in curiosity, getting closer to the ground to watch what the strange thing was going to do next.

Call Louis boring, but all living things fascinate him equally. Whether it be a dragon, or an ant.

He furrowed his eyebrows when the spider suddenly looked as though it got lighter, from a dusty black to a creamy beige. It went against the wall and flipped to lay on its back, causing Louis to quietly step over to it, sitting down with crossed legs and watching very carefully.

The spider started to shake intensely, rocking back and forth as it grew larger,

And larger,

And larger,

And larger until it completely looked like an oversized, demented creature from the pits of hell.

Louis jumped back in shock and grabbed a nearby book, holding it up as a weapon of destruction. But instead of screaming and hiding in the covers of the large silk bed, he stayed in place and continued to view the morphing into something new, something he has never seen before.

And Louis Tomlinson has seen a lot.

The things eyes go from black and beady to wide and blue, until whites surrounded it and soon a lash line. Pupils popped out, and long eight legs were sucked inside the black skin, two arms with hands and legs with feet protruded instead.

The short fangs became flat and large teeth, a pink tongue swiping over the pearly whites. Hair grew out like grass from the head of the strange creature, in a swifting motion and it styled itself upwards, like magic. The beige skin was then lightened once more, turning slowly into a light white, with a large scruff painted on the sides.

Louis gasps as he sees the 'spider' turn into a human, as though he shape-shifted into the creature he once was.

A shapeshifter.

Louis backs away as the man stands up, cracking his back and neck.

"Well, that was quite uncomfortable. Who knew that some spiders have hunched backs, huh?" He says, his accent deep and cheery.

Louis' eyes flicker to his book and back at the man, then to his book again and back at the man.

Louis throws his book with all his arm strength, directly aiming for the strange man's face.

The man widens his eyes and dodges it with one flick of his neck, letting the thick book to crash into the wall.

"I still have my spider senses, you know. They're really fast creatures, I'll tell you that." The man chuckled.

Louis continues to stare at him with wide eyes.

The man shakes his head, "Oh dear, where are my manners?"

He bows down before extending his hand, "The name's Killian, Killian Rhode. And it is an honor to be retrieving you my Luna."

Louis gets up before, ignoring the hand that was left up in shame, which Killian quickly pulled back and pretended to itch his scalp in awkwardness.

"Retrieve me? For what, if I may ask?" Louis asks, but it comes out more of a command.

Killian looks at him with a sarcastic dropped mouth, "Has no one told you? We have a lunch prepared for you and the King?"

Louis' eyes hood, "I am not attending."

Killian lets out a laugh, "Don't be silly Luna--"

"Louis. My name is Louis."

"Alright, Louis," Killian says, raising his hands up in false defeat for a couple of seconds, "You must attend, the lobster is getting cold."

Louis' face scrunched up with disgust, "I need to leave here, not dine with royalty."

Killian lets out another fake chuckle, "Leave? Oh if it was that easy, now don't be silly, we must get you to the Garden of White Roses immediately, you didn't hear it from me, but the King does get grumpy when he's impatient."

Louis lunges towards Killian, attempting to move past the man and run away towards the door, but due to the very large size difference, Killian was a skyscraper while Louis barley was a grain of sand.

The large man grabs Louis' fists and then pins him against the wall.

"Now, none of that, I have other jobs to do, you know." Killian says teasingly.

"Let go of me! I have to go find Sam!" Louis yells, struggling to escape from the heaviness above his chest.

"Harry did choose well, you are quite pretty," Killian compliments, one hand stoking the cheekbones of the omega. Louis tries to hit the hand away from the shaking of his head, "Oh, and feisty too, lovely."

"Show me to Sam!" Louis shouts, still kicking his feet at Killian's legs, only tiring himself out since it seemed not to make a difference in his situation.

"I believe that in the position we're in, you should be doing what I say." Killian points out, still wearing that toothy smile that Louis wanted to wipe clean so terribly.

"I don't follow your people's orders," Louis seethed.

Killian's clicked his tongue, "And I don't follow yours. Now, will you stop being so hard headed and follow me, how does that sound, Princess?"

Louis narrowed his eyes, "Or you can unhand me, how does that sound, Princess?"

Killian let out a thunderous laugh, "Oh, Harry did pick the right one. The prophecy never depicted the savior to be this humorous."

Louis raised a brow, "Savior?"

Killian purses his lips, "Oops. Already said too much, didn't I?"

"Tell me what you meant." Louis demands.

"Or you may follow me." Killian suggests.

"No," Louis says short.

"Oh come on--" Killian starts.

"Nope."

"The king is waiting--" The shape shifter attempts.

"Don't care." Louis replies, looking Killian right in the eyes.

The man rolled his eyes, "Don't be so stubborn."

"Then let me go." Louis suggests.

"You and I both know that's not going to happen, sweetheart." Killian says, his eyes still scrolling down Louis' beautiful face.

"So I'm a prisoner?" Louis asks.

"Don't be selfish, compared to your friend, you should be kissing the kingdom's feet that you're not with him." Killian points out, only making Louis strike up.

"Sam! What did you do with him?" Louis says aloud.

Killian cringes, "You do yell his name quite a lot, dont you?"

Louis struggles against him once again, "Where is he!?"

Killian sighs before saying an 'aha!' As though he just came up with a brilliant idea,

"I'll tell you what, you come with me to the Lunch, and I promise that you'll get the information you desire while you're there, it's a win-win." Killian says, causing Louis to grunt.

"Please, I need to see him, he's going to go insane," Louis pleaded.

"And so will I if I don't get you to the King before Dinner, I will go insane." Killian groans.

"What does the king need from me? I have nothing to offer, really." Louis promises.

"Oh Luna, you can give him much more than you think," Killian whispers.

Louis bites his lip, "I can't stay here, please, I can't."

"Can any of us?" Killian shrugs, still wearing that damn toothy smile.

Louis looks at his hand questionably, and then he thinks about his friend. His best friend who is probably suffering because of his mental illness and position. How could Louis be so selfish and only think about himself here?

Louis needed answers so he could help the person he loved the most.

"If I do go, I will get to know where Sam is?" Louis asks slowly, still hesitant.

Killian nods and puts his right hand on his heart, perky, "Oh yes, Shifter's Honor."

Louis knows that they key to Sam would be the King, and Killian did say that all of his questions will be answered about his friend's location. Louis looks at the Man's hand, which was still extended out for Louis to take grasp of. And he did.

If possible, Killian's smile got wider and he intertwined his hand with Louis, "Knew you'd come around, see, I can already smell the birth of this new friendship."

Louis' face scrunched, cashing Killian to whistle.

"Alright, I believe I should stop talking, off to the king we go."

Louis, being his mischievous self, had other plans.

He comes closest to Killian, using his hand as a sort of rope to pull him closer to the shape shifting rascal. The omega then aims directly at the man's testicles, putting his escape plan into play.

The only way to cause serious, blood curdling trauma to the testicles is to smash them directly up into the pelvis bone or squeeze and pull them away from the body.

To accomplish this you need a direct path to the testicles from underneath. The force from this direction will smash them into the pelvic bone giving you the desired stopping power to drop him like a bad habit.

You need to have enough room to get that knee, shin, tip of boot, edge of hand, hammer fist, forearm, web of hand into the crotch. For that you need enough space for entry. This means your target must have his feet close to parallel and wide enough apart so your attack can fit. Now in a fight when you're constantly moving, that doesn't happen too often.

In addition, if you make any sort of attack toward the male genitalia in a non-friendly manner, there's not a guy on the planet who will not react, flinch or close his legs. Men have been conditioned to protect the family jewels at all costs, their species depends on it.

Killian lets out a hollers out cry, his arms immediately going to his crotch and grasping it in pain. Louis cringed and shuddered, knowing how much it hurts to be him right now.

But the door was wide open, and there seemed not to be a guard in sight, as though Killian might have cleared the Locus before he entered and tried to persuade Louis.

Just as the boy was about to exit the room, Killian gets up and makes a quick turning motion with his hands, causing Louis to freeze in mid air.

"If you did your research, you would know that shape shifters can control weak animals as well as turn into them, and you just so happen to be an omega.." Killian forces himself up, trying to hold in his grunts.

Louis stays frozen, his mouth refusing to open or close.

"I didn't want to do this by force, but I guess you leave me no choice. Regelo!" Killian yells, and Louis unfreezes and drops to the floor like a rag doll, limp.

Killian walks over to Louis and picks him up without a single sign of trouble.

"Put me down you doppelgänger roach!" Louis protests.

Killian rolls his eyes before yelling out another spell, "silentium!"

Louis lips purse, letting no noise or words to pass him mouth, only muffled curses.

Killian smiles, "That's much better. Now, I don't know about you, but I think we're rather late for lunch, shall we be on our way, my Luna?"

Louis makes a noise that sounded disgruntled.

"I'll take that as a yes, off we go then."

-

 

BLINDING, THE VIBRANT WHITENESS OF THE Roses were blinding. It was as though teach flower was handcrafted by the heaven Angels themselves, and sent down by snowflakes. If Louis wasn't held on tightly and carried like an infant who needed to burp by Killian, he certainly would have investigated them closer.

There was something else to the roses and Louis knew it. Some sort of symbolism. No one wakes up and just says they want a pentagon of all white flowers, there has to be something else to it.

The whole place felt cold and icy, even though the sun was beating down with all its mighty power. Louis wonders how much enjoy,met could spew if he grabbed colors and tried to paint each white delight and make this pentagon warmer and welcoming.

"You know, you're rather more better off with no voice. I actually enjoy your company." Killian compliments terribly.

Louis wants to let out a scoff, but it comes out as a weird hum that crawls out of his throat.

Killian chuckles and continues to walk, his speed slowing down, telling Louis that they might be near their destination. Confirming his theory, the two did stop abruptly, and Killian said another spell aloud before he freed Louis from his clutches.

"Liber!"

Louis then went stiff for a moment before he could feel his numb legs go back to the way they were once before. Louis thin lips popped out from the trap he called his mouth. He was placed calmly and gently on the lush grass below him. Killian latches his arm with Louis'.

"Now, messing with me was child's play, but with the king, I think you should just be cautious." The shapeshifter warned slowly.

Louis shook his head, "I just want to know where my best friend is. And I will do anything I can to do so."

Killian lets out a humorless laugh, "One wrong move and you will soon find out for yourself. Not everyone is nice in this castle like I am."

Louis raises an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Killian shrugs, "The act that you pulled with me won't be tolerated with anyone else. Trust me."

"What can they do?" Louis asks in a hushed voice.

"All I'm going to say is that they're going to make you wish you were dead." Killian says.

And a small voice in Louis' head reminds the big that he already does.

Louis pushes the thoughts aside, and mentally slaps himself for being so selfish. Sam was somewhere in the castle, and by the sound of it, he's not sleeping in silk beds. Louis continues to stare at the grass before he looks at Killian in the eyes, determined and more motivated once he thinks about his best friend.

"What do I need to do?" Louis questions in a low voice.

"That..." Killian nods, "That is up to the King."

Louis notices his Killian gulps and looks up sharply, as though he was trying to signal the omega to do the same. And Louis does.

And there he stood.

King Harry.

The Garden of White Roses actually lead up to a glass pentagon dome, which had hoary and unpigmented leaves, stems, and thorns to each colorless flower, giving off a inhospitable look towards everything.

There was no aliment or provender as promised, just the king giving Louis an icy stare.

His face was unreadable, but his eyes spoke for himself. They were somewhat livid but at the same time they were some form of unorthodox. Strange.

"Louis, bow to your king.." Killian whispered very quietly, so quietly that Louis barley heard it. But he did.

The omega gives a weak genuflect-like curtsey, before standing up straight and continuing to be a victim of Harry's gaze.

"You are dismissed, Killian." Harry's voice sends shivers down Louis' spine.

There was just something so anomalous to it.

Something off.

"Good luck, Princess." Killian whispers again before leaving and shutting the glasshouse's door behind him. Leaving Harry and Louis alone.

Louis jumps at the small noise the door makes once it shuts, and how it echoes throughout. He collects himself and continues to focus on the king in front of him, and the reason he was in here as well.

Harry had all black on, as though he was attending a funeral. His long legs were covered with heavy dress pants, and broad shoulders blanketed with thin cotton. At first glance you would think he too was a magical creature, and not an alpha. But the horns and eyes remain a mystery to the kingdom.

Maybe it always will.

"You're late." Was the first thing that Harry said once the atmosphere of silence was broken.

"So I've heard." Louis responds, not wanting to jump into his questions right away.

They were still separated by over twenty inches of space, so Harry walked over to Louis first until there was only six inches separating the two. Louis inhaled sharply, not knowing why he was so nervous.

He didn't know why the king was staring at his eyes so deeply, as though he was searching for something hidden in them, which there wasn't. But Louis learned something from that stare. Harry could burn metaphorical holes with just one glare.

"So much bravery. Such essence of courage," Harry's finger trails down Louis' cheek, the rough skin meeting strangely with the softness of Louis' face.

Louis gulps hard, feeling his heart pounding in his chest and he was afraid that even Harry could hear it's immense volume.

"I have a request, Louis. May I propose it?" Harry's soothing voice and terrifying figure does not mix well together. It just produces a product of fear.

"You don't have to ask, after all, you are the king." Louis replies shortly, surprised at the steadiness of his own voice and the lack of shakiness.

Harry smiles, but it's not genuine or brought put upon by some sort of happiness, it's a wicked smile. A sinister smile.

"Omega, little do you know you are just as puissant as I."

Louis furrowed his eyebrows, questioning the choice of words. Puissant, meaning powerful, influential.

"My request is that we don't lie to eachother. Or attempt to. Not like the Court Room. So you accept my request?" Harry asks, but they both knew it was a command.

"I don't believe that would be a problem, my King." Louis' words seemed forced, everything that Louis' doing right now seemed forced. He might not be in clutches but he feels like a prisoner.

Harry then grabs Louis' right hand, picks it up and softly strokes it with his long claws that Louis had never noticed before. It was like Harry was trying to show them to the omega, to let him know who was hosting this 'lunch'.

His claws trailed back and forth, painting visible goosebumps upon Louis' skin. It was like a promise. A promise of destruction if Louis did not follow Harry's words.

"There is a problem, Louis. A problem that is going around Stellarum, do you know what that problem is?" Harry asks, his eyes not meeting Louis', but keeping them in tact with the omega's milky skin.

"No, my king." Louis replies, this time a little hesitant.

Harry continues to keep his slight grin, "Your story has been going around. Hero, that's what they call you, Omega. Do you know why that is a problem?"

Louis' knees go weak, "No, my King."

Harry's claws stop trailing Louis' hand and he squeezes it slightly as a warning while his eyes go dark again, "Don't lie, you promised. Do you know why that is a problem?"

Louis restricts himself from pulling his hand away, "Yes, my King."

Harry smiles contently, "Good. Because so does everyone else. The Lowlanders see you as a symbol, an open window."

Louis doesn't reply, all he wants right now is for Harry to continue.

"An open window, yes. Some sort of eye opener for them. Same with the magical creatures all around. They have heard about your attempt to free them." Harry tells, Louis widens his eyes.

"Your attempt gives them hope, Omega. And it is a threat to the kingdom." Harry pauses, giving Louis a chance to talk.

"It must be a fragile kingdom if an omega threatens it, my king." Louis wants to take back those words.

Harry lets out a humorless laugh, "Yes, Louis, very fragile indeed. Almost like glass. And it takes a lot to put glass back together, omega. A lot of work."

Louis takes another hitched breath in, "What are you suggesting?"

Harry looks up from Louis' skin and back into his eyes, "Not suggesting, Louis, I'm ordering." Harry steps back and puts his hands behind his back, crossed, and stars walking in a circle.

"I am ordering you to join me and destroy this.." Harry picks up a flower in his hands, "hope." Harry crushes the flower.

"Hope is a good thing to have, my king." Louis grits his teeth.

Harry lets out another laugh, "To them, yes. To us, to me, it is the very thing that will bring upon a rebel. An overthrow of order."

Louis shakes his head, "I'm not betraying what I stand for. That's mental treason."

Harry then nods, "But your physical reason brought you here. And thats what matters right now."

"What matters is the people!" Louis raises his voice, expecting Harry to do the same but instead the alpha stands still and gives a smirk.

"That's where you are wrong. Our system took years to develop, wars, Louis. Death upon millions and millions of races. And thousands and thousands of years. Now the system is about to collapse due to a small story. And we're going to make sure that it remains just a simple tale."

Louis frowns while Harry continues on.

"You are going to help the kingdom, Omega. Convince them that you are outnumbered, over powered, small. Abolish the hope." Harry says simply.

"I won't." Louis refuses hard, his voice high and confident.

Harry chuckles, "Oh, but you will. Sam, is it? The poor alpha is easy to kill off if we don't come to a resolution. He too has a lot to do with your adventures, doesn't he?"

Louis' eyes widen as he marches over to Harry and comes closer until their chests touch, "Don't touch him! He has nothing to do with this!"

Harry lets out another fit of chuckles, "But he does, Louis. He has much to do with it, actually. I also believe that any boy such as yourself goes to such an extent to help nourish your family, you'd be more protective of them as well."

Louis feels his knees go weak once again, "I have sisters and an ill mother, you can't hurt them!"

Harry shrugs, "The choice is yours. Because once you refuse my orders, I'll make sure it is you who will execute each and every one of them. Not me."

Louis feels tears threatening to slip out of his eyes, and his mind is going in battle with him saying to submit, while his heart is screaming for him to rebel. But for the first time in forever, he let his mind win.

"What do I need to do?" Louis' voice is shaky.

Harry smiles, his forehead connect with Louis', "We will change the tale. Cause this hope to turn into something... Else. You will stay and do as I say to put everyone back in their place. Like a puppet."

Louis exhales for what seems like the first time, "And Sam and my family will be okay?"

Harry trails a claw down Louis' neck, "My dear, follow my orders and everything will be okay."

Little did Harry know, everything will not be okay.  
.  
.  
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	10. Sirens and Bubble Baths

THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY FIFTEEN MEN COMPACTED In the small room. All fifteen of these men were wearing black, pointed hats that towered over their heads, and black cloaks that sheeted over their bodies, as though they were incognito. They sat in chairs that circled a round table, their long nails which were filed to a shape point tapped away on the mahogany wood.

These men were called Viewers. Those were men who were human once before, given magic in order to make sure that everyone and everything in Stellarum was intact. They watch, and watch, and watch, like inky shadows. Huntsman, some could also view them as.

But the question is, where were these Viewers when Louis and Sam were putting their mischievousness into play?

"The king, he has confirmed the espousal between him and the omega." A deep, raspy voice spurred out, causing the discussion to begin and the meeting to take place.

"An engagement so soon? It seems the king isn't following the prophecy." Another voice says, the raucousness continuing.

"The prophecy never mentioned that the Luna would be so anti systematic. The whole steps of intimacy would be too time consuming. Besides, other problems have stirred." The voice replied.

"Other problems? Elaborate."

The same man that belonged to the raspy voice crossed one leg over the other before picking up a wand that was tucked inside his boot. His dark hand made a swiping motion with the wand, as though he was trying to cut the air, wound it.

A slice of pink heat appears, and once the wand did a vertical swiping motion, the slice opened up to be a wide screen that displayed Stellarum's different realms.

"What are we looking at, Amin?" A man asked the one with the raspy audio.

Amin looks back at the fourteen other Viewers in front of him, and points directly at the villages. He touches the hologram and uses his pointer finger and thumb to amplify a little left of a woman's chest,might above her heart.

A single pin in the shape of scale tale.

Short gasps emerged from the room and filled up the atmosphere, a siren.

Sirens were dangerous creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Sirens were wiped out by the kingdom due to their troubles in a mass elimination. But then they were used as a symbol by other outsiders.

A symbol of insubordination, or the defiance of authority, refusal to obey orders. This symbol has been banned as soon as it was heard it was created by the resisters.

Amin continued to magnify many other citizens, and the same pin was attract he'd to their clothes as well, glinting in the sun with all its glory.

"Why would they be wearing such a thing now?" A question was released into the air.

"Because of the Tomlinson boy. His story has went throughout the land. They call him the Siren." Amin explains, continuing to look at the people through the magical hologram.

"The omega... A siren?" Another query shoots out.

"Metaphorically, yes. The Sirens were called the Muses of the lower world, and they believe that this Tomlinson boy... Is a muse. Their muse..."

Amin pauses before shaking out of his diversion from staring at the mesmerizing screen, "Their muse that will lure us, the Higlanders, straight into a Tophet."

Eyebrows were raised and heartbeats of perturbation could be heart at the word choice. Tophet was a human Mergunt word and involved their ancient history.

In the Hebrew Bible Tophet or Topheth was a location in Jerusalem in the Gehinnom where worshipers influenced by the ancient Canaanite religion engaged in the human sacrifice of children to the gods Moloch and Baal by burning them alive. Tophet became a theological or poetic synonym for hell within Christendom, religion.

Tophet was then changed to be known to be worse than the idea of an underworld. Much, much worse.

This pin of a Siren shows how people were waking up. And waking up means they will want the Highlanders to go to a slumber. An everlasting slumber.

"Has King Harry been informed of this?" A man speaks up, his voice slightly shaky.

Amin nods and with a flick of his wand, the hologram disappears from the air it was presented by.

"The king knows much more than we do, actually. Much, much more. We will be putting a stop to this before it gets out of hand." Amin says.

"But what exactly is this stirring up to be? And how is Louis Tomlinson playing a big role?" A screechy voice asks.

Amin lets out an exhale before answering, "He has proven to everyone that we aren't as strong as we made it out be. The omega has showed exactly how fragile our system is. Fear is being extracted from the Mergunts, and soon, the magical creatures."

And that was the worst part.

It didn't matter much about the Lowlanders, or the Mergunts. Only the magical creatures of the forest mattered. If they soon turned their backs to the kingdom, and if they fought back to reclaim their power, the highlanders would fall.

And so would their power.

And power is everything.

Want of power is a disease.

A plague.

"So that is why the king is preparing to marry the omega? To put on a show to the Lowlanders that he has power over their.... Symbol?" The screechy voice asks once again.

Amin nods, "As long as Louis is in clutches, the Lowlanders have no hope. And that is what we want to destroy."

"But we need the omega to be submissive, passive. Easy. He needs to follow his lines." A deeper voice says.

Amin looks at him in the eye with a small frown,

"That is the problem that the king will resolve."

-

"IS THIS REALLY NECESSARY?" LOUIS ASKS IN ANGER As a steel collar on his neck is being tightened, pinching the tan skin in a small but excruciating matter.

Two elves were on either side of him, holding chains and pulling until Harry commanded them to stop, which seemed like he wasn't going to do any time soon.

The room that Louis was sitting seemed as though it was spinning in a blistering way uncontrollably and repeatedly, causing Louis' head to beg for some sort of steadiness and ease. But it never stopped. Where was he? The locus, once again. The King's room. His room, now.

The king was on a chair, staring down at Louis, who was below him on his knees and on the concrete floor. His burning eyes spread a radiating gaze that caused Louis to feel a dangerous heat go through his body.

"Rosè, Monty, hand me the chains and you are dismissed." Harry finally spoke up after a short amount of time, and the elves instantly followed the alpha's orders.

A loud shut of the door could be heard, signaling Harry to stand up and pull the chains upwards, causing Louis to let out a yelp and get up from the position he was in before, his feet sat flat on the concrete now, his knees bruised with purples and blues.

"So is this how it's going to be? I'm just your little puppet?" Louis groans aloud.

"Many sarcastic questions come out of you." Harry simply remarked, examining Louis' nude body, which was only covered by silk linings for his privates.

"But not enough answers come out of you." Louis argues back, sighing in small relief when Harry loosens the chain only by a tad.

Harry ignores the small omega's witty response, and guides him by the chain to a nearby door, opening it up to reveal a bathroom that only held a fancy tub that spewed out heated water and was plugged to have a bath environment. Strawberries was also filled inside.

Louis almost laughed at this. How he and his people have been trying to scavenge for food, trying to find enough to eat in order to survive, but here he was. About to soak himself in strawberries while the Lowlanders were dying. He imagined his sisters eating strawberries, and how much they loved the sweet taste and how Lottie would whine when Jay would scold her for trying to use it as a lip tint.

It was considered a rare treat, fruit. A luxury. A privilege. But that's not how it should be. You should never put a tax on something that Mother Nature has provided. But it has become clear that the Higlanders couldn't care less.

"You must wash, we have to attend a meeting for your hearing." Harry says, pulling him and Louis inside the sweet scented room.

Louis' head perked up, "Another hearing? I thought that shit was done?"

Harry let out a hum before tracing the outlines of Louis' lips with his finger, "Remind me to fix this dirty mouth of yours."

Louis shakes his head in attempt to get Harry's finger off of his face, "Don't touch me."

Harry sighs, "You're being difficult. Get in the bath."

Louis looks up at the king behind him and narrows his eyes, "You haven't answered my question about the hearing."

"I don't owe you an answer."

Louis scoffs, "I believe that you owe me an explanation to something that involves me."

Harry looks deep into the determined eyes of the omega and sees the familiar flash of courage that causes him to bite his lip till it draws blood, weakening him from the insides.

"I could easily strip you from your garments and throw you in the water, do you understand that?" Harry asks, demanding an answer in a threatening manner.

"Then why don't you?" Louis challenges.

There was nothing more that Harry wanted to than prove something to Louis right there and then. He wanted to use some form of harsh compulsion against the omega. To put him in his place. To show intimidation and dominance.

But something held Harry back. Something always holds him back when he's around the omega.

Harry loosens Louis' collar, and unlocks his chains that held is hands back before he whispered into his omega's ear, "Don't even think about escaping. You'll regret it afterwards."

Louis shakes his head, "I'm not getting in."

Harry shakes his head, "You will do as I say, obey your king, Louis."

Louis feels his body shift when Harry uses his alpha voice, and feels his inner omega ready to submit and immediately become as passive as nature intended. But he goes against his instincts and turns around.

"You are no king to me, Harry." Louis spits back.

Harry feels his core burn, and the false mask of patience along with the walls of restraint topple down. Harry reaches out for Louis' face and forces it to connect with his, "Don't forget what you have given acquiesce to, Omega. Because I recall that you have to submit to me."

Bloody. That was the smell of his heated breath. Bloody. A rusty copper, almost like some sort of metal, bronze copper, an old coin. Heady and earth-like, similar to some sort of old change jar that some would collect. It was as though Harry drank a glass of it everyday, dipping a sugar cookie to go along with it. The smell should be revolting, absolutely terrifying.

But it wasn't. Not to Louis.

It was tantalizing, in a twisted way.

The way the heat would travel its way down deep into Louis' skin, setting some sort of thick, venomous coat. Harry was a snake, Louis had theorized. It was more scary how much the omega yearned to inhale the scent again, to feel it against his skin one more time.

And that was the terrifying aspect.

Louis nods, defeated, causing a smirk to appear on Harry's face.

"Strip." Harry demands, as though he was testing his power over the omega.

Louis wanted to shout no, he wanted to push the man away and escape this hell he was in. But he couldn't. He just bit his lip before pulling down the elastic band that was lined in his silk garment. It was a natural instinct to cover his privates, and that's exactly what he did.

Harry watched hungrily, his eyes hooded and he looked like what a predator would towards his prey. Bloodthirsty, but in this case, lustful. The roots of lust run so deep that it is almost instinctive.

It was humiliating. Being bare and nude in front of a man who is holding you hostage like an object. Demeaning and disgusting. Louis felt another layer of filth cover him, but it was mental and metaphorical, but needed to be just as cleansed.

What disgusted Louis more was how he allowed it. How easily he submitted without putting up a good enough battle, as though we wanted this to happen.

His bum was on full display to Harry, but his girth was covered by his small hands, and his torso couldn't help but be naked and have the sunlight bounce off of his tan skin, causing it to be even more revealing.

Harry's hands travelled around Louis' body, loving the small physique, and feeling himself grow an adoration for the smooth skin that all omega's were praised for. Louis' thick thighs caused him to grow insane with desire, and the heat in his stomach didn't cool down.

Louis wanted to break free from this harassment, feeling exploited and nauseated. But the words of Harry's kept replaying over and over in his head repeatedly from their conversation in the Dome of Roses,

"The choice is yours. Because once you refuse my orders, I'll make sure it is you who will execute each and every one of them. Not me."

Something changed in Harry's voice once he spoke again, it was a deep growl and sounded as though he was possessed with a plague called twisted acquisitiveness.

"You are mine. Your body belongs to me, from here on out. No man is allowed to touch you. Do you understand me, Omega?"

Everything inside Louis was screaming for him to say no, but his brain spoke over him and overpowered above all.

"Yes, my king." Louis says, forced.

The bath goes unacknowledged as Harry's sharp teeth trail down Louis' neck, teasingly and softly, but Louis knew that one wrong move or word, those teeth would be inside him in the blink of an eye.

Steam from the water was causing this to be more heated and even more overwhelming, the boy has never felt more violated in his whole existence. It reminded him of something...

Something that his mind didn't even want to touch at.

The grazing teeth fell to a certain spot on Louis' neck, right above his collarbones but slightly lower than his left ear. The spot was highly sensitive and tender. This sport was for a mating mark, and one more press, it would be broken and he would have been soul bounded with Harry.

A knock on the main door then was audible, it seemed rushed and urgent, causing Harry to groan and growl.

"Who's there?" Harry gritted threateningly.

"My King, the Ambassadors of the Realms have arrived." The voice says loudly.

Harry takes one quick look at Louis and sighs, lust still filling his eyes and the scent that radiated off the omega caused him to go starving. He trailed a finger up and down the mating mark area, Louis' body betrayed him once a moan escaped his mouth instead of a protest.

"Not yet, but soon, Luna. Stay put here, I'll return shortly." Harry says before exiting the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.

Louis was left a mess, his body shaking with some sort of violation and want. His eyes widened at the king's words, was he by any chance indicating that his mating mark would be broken by him?

Louis knew one thing, he would not allow it.

Harry's voice was soft, but his actions spoke for him once consent didn't matter to him at all. It was revolting and against everything that Louis ever wanted. As though his silent protests and body language didn't matter or have a say.

Louis sank back into the bath, imagining how he could or would leave this prison. But the words of Harry repeated in his head once again,

"The choice is yours. Because once you refuse my orders, I'll make sure it is you who will execute each and every one of them. Not me."

If only Louis followed his other words,

"Stay put."

Because if the omega did that,

Then the horror ahead wouldn't have occurred at all.

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	11. Devotion and Chocolate

"KING HARRY, WHAT AN HONOR." WAS THE FIRST Thing Harry heard once he entered a rather large discussion room. The same room that all gatherings of Ambassadors entering the highlands would be held.

Ambassadors are representatives from a certain realm in Stellarum. There are five sections that Harry has appointed these ambassadors in to look after:

The Lowlands (separated by the Enchanted Forest), The West Wing (near the Sea of Stars), and the East Wing (located right by the shores of Malia.) All of these realms had ambassadors, while Harry ruled by the Low and Highlands.

They were all alphas, of course. A dark-skinned female with kinky hair named Natsu looked over the West Wing, while a rugged olive-toned man (who was also an army general) named Akachi looked over the East Wing.

Needless to say, the two were experienced and wise.

But unfortunately for the two of them, that meeting didn't bring about any good news.

The amassed gathering started with a simple how to Harry in respect. The alpha king had his top advisors, Malik, Payne, and Kaplan by his side, ready to commission the meeting.

Yes, all was good.

Until the issues were beginning to unfold like origami pieces.

"Permission to confabulate on West Wing, my king." Natsu requests Harry, her wand in her hand and ready to be used once given the opportunity.

"Granted." Was all Harry said, his mind refusing to concentrate from the amount of frustration that was still locked up inside his internal wolf.

Frustration that was caused by that engrossing omega.

It was unexplainable, really.

For truly, Harry did not want to divert his mind to another subject like he would with his other distractions. No, he wanted to keep Louis in his mind. He needed the omega in his mind. For now.

Natsu nodded before standing and swiping her wand, and pointing it towards the front wall everyone faced at, before whispering the spell the projected a screen of the image of the West Wing.

"Ostende!"

A small stage full of five men were depicted, all of them had their hands tied behind their backs and eyes blindfolded. Their nostrils looked like they had cotton inside, and bloody lashes from whips were covering their backs. Each one of them had rags stuffed in their mouths, gagging each and every one of them.

"Over the course of the week, we have had over nineteen anti-monarchy public representatives. One of the highest spikes in the last century." Natsu says, her eyes blankly still fixed on the projected images.

Zayn furrowed his eyes brows, "Nineteen? Why such a high risen rate? And why now?"

Natsu swiped her wand and then a familiar image was projected instead, the background of the Enchanted Forest. It depicted a dead ground and unicorn blood painting blank, orange leaves that sunk deep in the soil.

"There have been multiple break ins and border crossing in to the Forest. The minority Lowlanders have now seen the kingdom more of as a joke than a powerful monarchy." Natsu explains further.

Harry stares further at the image, the vibrancy of the unicorn blood making his mind churn and his eyes throb in a hypnotized state. Enlightened, almost.

"This has happened before, if I am not mistaken. But the problem was easily resolved by more-" Liam began but was cut off by George Kaplan's sarcastic chuckle.

"Something to add, Kaplan?" Liam asks politely, not taken aback by the rude behavior of the royal advisor. Zayn seemed to be, though, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Fear? With all due respect Payne, but this isn't the same consequence now as it was then." Kaplan's sarcasm was still thick.

Liam raises a brow, "Elaborate."

Kaplan stands then, adverting all eyes upon him.

"The last problem we have had with questioning and insubordination was simply due to the new... Regulations the kingdom had configured. We easily put that to a rest by showing the punishments or retributions that will be distributed if one doesn't devote to the decrees."

Zayn stood next to Liam, his eyes foggy with anger, "Are you bringing about the idea that we dictate the people and punish them severely as though they are children like some contemptible regimen?"

Kaplan didn't have any sign of intimidation in his body language, or any shame either.

"This isn't a regimen, Malik. Nor is it a government. It is a monarchy." Kaplan finally says, his eyes flicker to Harry, and sits down.

Akachi then spoke up, clearing his throat before speaking more to the king who is in front of him.

"Many do not believe it is a monarchy representing the people as they used to, my king."

Harry realized this. He knew this. He was waiting for this. The day that the prophecy has come alive.

"Continue, Akachi." Harry's voice came out clear, and not a hint of concern transferring through.

He knew this would happen.

It was like a time bomb waiting to go off.

And Harry had waited.

But why didn't he stop the bomb if he knew it was going to explode?

"Our intelligencers from the East Wing have went incognito and in to gatherings. It has been expressed and specified by the minority omega community that many believe that this is Fascism."

The whole room dropped silent.

But the corners of Harry's mouth perked up into a small, malevolent smile.

Fascism is a way of organizing a society in which a government ruled by a dictator controls the lives of the people and in which people are not allowed to disagree with the government.

A genus of political ideology whose mythic core in its various permutations is a palingenetic form of populist ultranationalism, some would describe it.

Some would even say it is a form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation, or victimhood and by compensatory cults of unity, energy, and purity, in which a mass-based party of committed nationalist militants, working in uneasy but effective collaboration with traditional elites, abandons democratic liberties and pursues with redemptive violence and without ethical or legal restraints goals of internal cleansing and external expansion.

Yes, the people are waking up.

It is time for them to be put in slumber again.

"Kaplan," Harry's voice booms, causing the advisor to shoot up again from his seat and bow, waiting for an order.

"Reminisce aloud on past acts to keep order." Harry states.

Zayn's eyes widen, "Your majesty, you cannot be actually considering strict punishments!"

Harry looks back at his other royal advisor, "You know as well as I that any other act to be displayed would cause our system to fall, Malik."

A warm hand was placed on Zayn's back, stopping him from shooting a remark back. Liam looked at his king.

"My king, it seems that the prophecy of your wellness is being neglected. Have you forgotten the purpose of the omega-" Liam started, but Harry rose a hand to stop him.

"The prophecy must be changed. The omega's use has changed. He will no longer be used to rule beside me. He will be used a puppet." Harry announces.

"A puppet?"

"All those who are the main mutineers praise the boy. Look at him as though he is a symbol, a hero. The siren. What will happen one we show that their symbol... Is a loyalist?" Harry brought about.

It was Liam's turn to widen his eyes.

A loyalist was one who remains loyal and submissive to the established ruler or government, especially in the face of a revolt. It was sick to force someone to be a loyalist by force. It was also shameful and humiliating.

"My king, you know as well as I do that the prophecy says more than just for your omega to rule besides you.. The omega could save yo-" Zayn tries.

"I am well aware of what the omega is written to save, Malik. But what is not written in the prophecy is that the boy is also capable of destroying authority." Harry shoots back.

Zayn sits down after saying his final words of the meeting, "What kind of authority... Imprisoning a minority..."

Harry forced his eyes away from the advisor before standing up himself.

"The crime of Samuel and Louis of entering the Enchanted Forest and brainwashing the creatures is viewed as an act of defiance, not an act of childish carelessness. It makes the rest of Stellarum think, if an omega from the Lowlands of all places can defy the Kingdom and walk away unharmed, what is to stop them from doing the same?" he says before taking a long pause and Harry said finally,

"What is to prevent, say, an uprising?"

Zayn bit his lip as Kaplan nodded in agreement.

Harry spoke up once again, "The omega and I will be wed. He will be my Luna. We will travel through every acre of Stellarum land and preform a show."

"A show, my king?" Natsu asks in confusion.

Harry looks back at her and nods, "A show. The omega has become a strong symbol and looked at for hope. In order to crush their hope, we must crush the source. Louis Tomlinson will now be a loyalist. An ally. He will show that he did not win. That they didn't win. That they can't win."

"This is deceiving." Liam's voice rang.

Harry looked back at his advisor, "All form of authority is deceiving."

It sounded as though the king was trying to convince himself more than any one else in the room.

The projected images on the wall then changed back to the men who were clutched on the stage, and then they were on chairs. Each of them had ropes hung in front of their faces before their necks were placed inside the hoops, and the chairs were kicked off.

The image was shown from another angle, showing how it was a public hanging.

Children, mothers, creatures, and fathers watched and fear was thick in their eyes.

Harry looked at the images with ease, but his heart felt knotted.

"Prepare the ceremony, I plan on the marriage to be held tomorrow noon."

And with that, the king left.

Leaving everyone in the room staring at the lifeless, projected men.

A simple siren pin on their clothes left.

  
-

 

  
LOUIS' TEETH CHATTERED REPEATEDLY ONCE He had gotten out of the tub. The water that glided against his skin connected with the cool air was not a good combination, and the omega rushed for a towel to be blanketed against him at once.

To say that this was the first time Louis has ever felt clean would be an understatement. Never has he ever experienced a bath that left him smelling actually nice. Usually he would jump into a stream and let the bacteria filled water do its magic.

This time there was soap (which slipped out of Louis' hands so many times that the boy had given up), rose petals and strawberries floated atop the water, leaving a tantalizing smell.

Louis also may have squeaked a little when he realized his skin color was a light tan and not a layer of dirt and grass pigment.

Once the towel held him tight, and covered his torso along with his girth, Louis exited the excessively large bathroom, and entered the familiar bedroom he was in once before.

Louis pursed his lips tight as he saw that Harry was still not back. It had been a while, and it seemed as though he wasn't going to be back any time soon, either.

Louis stealthily moved towards the door, and put his ear on the hinge. There were only sounds of flat heels moving up and down, which Louis knew were guards. If any of them belonged to Harry, they would be more dominant, and sharp. Even his walk was intimidating.

The omega bit his lip, trying to remind himself that he should stay put, like Harry said. He should sit down on the bed and wait till the alpha returned.

But the other part of him had its eyes on the large dresser in front of him, which had piled of unknown papers waiting to be explored.

Louis peeked through the keyhole and saw that there was no threat, and it also showed him the amount of time he had to wander around the room.

Louis hopped toward the dresser, figuring that these papers might have information that may help him escape. Maybe a route, a letter, something. The omega was desperate.

Water drops stained each paper as he snooped through.

Louis looked through to only find strange small notes that made no sense, only words scattered that were next to a small sketch that was messy and hard to make out,

"Philter." Louis read aloud the messy writing, and his eyes flickered to a drawing of the sun.

A hint of water that hung from Louis' pointy nose dropped onto the sketch, the ink smeared in result. Louis carefully put it aside before moving onto the next draft.

This time a simple 'BLACK' was written in large font. It was cursive, and in calligraphy style. Only a blob of ink was beside the word, causing Louis to hum in confusion and brief acknowledgement.

The omega's frail fingers reached out and traced the large splash of ink that covered the page, seeing how many sharp edges were placed around the figure. It seemed to have an essence of its own, the drawing. It seemed to be real. Louis was cautious to put the paper back to its place once before, not realizing the wet finger print.

Through the papers was a brown, leather journal. It was tied with a thin cloth which was in a knot.

Louis bit his lip, knowing that this was wrong. He was hesitant to continue, because it hit him that this was an invasion of privacy. But there was something itching under his skin, making his own curiosity eat him alive. There was something to the journal as well, something that was hypnotizing and fill the omega with pure wonder.

Louis' eyes flickered to the door once more, as though it was a clock reminding him how much time was left until he had left, warning him, rather. Louis took in an inhale of pride and courage before undoing the tie of cloth, loosening the journal. With one last flicker of the eye to the door, the boy turned the cover.

The first page stood out the most.

It had heavy writing covering the whole page, with a date on the top margin, missing the year. Louis quickly skimmed and read all he could.

  
'January 6th,

_It seems as though the bitter cold cannot solidify my thoughts. As the memories pour over me, I remain outside, hoping for the frozen drops of dew on the ground to take me beneath its surface. I hear them calling, but the over powering screams of the deceased is taking my attention. Perhaps I am not made for this life. I feel it traveling under my skin, controlling me as though I am the puppet and it is the puppeteer. And I am letting it, submitting to it._

_I want control. I need the facade of power even though I know it is hiding crippling reality underneath. They tell me it will get better. That I will soon win the civil war I am fighting inside. I have read the prophecy's nineteenth line over three thousand times a day, repeatedly._

_'As though he comes from the sun, as though his voice comes from the heavens, as though his eyes come from the oceans, only his solicitude and tenderness will thaw the beast filled with venom.'_

_But even I know, it will not get better. No will can silence the voices._

_For even God couldn't love the devil.'_

  
Louis looked for more, because that couldn't be all. But that was all that was written on January the 6th.

It left the omega with so many questions.

What was the prophecy?

Was Harry trying to eliminate himself?

But just as Louis turned the page, loud heel sounds emerged from outside the door.

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	12. Eavesdropping and Lashings

"I HAVE BEEN JUST INFORMED THAT The decision made is to neglect the prophecy. So that is your plan for the kingdom? Ignoring what is right for all of us?" An accented voice came out from the other side of the door that Louis recognized as Killian.

The omega froze, as though he was a deer who just saw an arrow being pointed towards himself. Harry was on the other side of the room along with another. Just a turn of the knob away from exposing Louis with the leather journal still in his tight hands.

For some unknown reason, Louis' first response to the immediate rush of panic going through his body was to stuff the journal down a flap, or pocket like opening in his towel that was folded. But then he looked down at the hiding spot in pure pity, because truly, it was so obvious that there was a book like shaped object protruding from his chest.

Before muttering a quick curse, Louis realized he had a choice.

He could have returned the journal back to its place on the rich dressing table, and stayed put as Harry had told him before to do so. He could have returned his place on the bed, pretending that he had been waiting for the alpha to return.

Louis had enough time to do all those tasks. But he didn't. Instead, a conversation that was brewing outside of the Locus caused Louis' interest to spike up. Every word that was being spoken was confidential, and Louis needed to listen to every word, hoping that there was something that had to do with him or what the Castle's intentions were with the omega.

From the opening of the entryway, there was an open hinge that spewed out light from the other side. Louis made his way to that exact location by stepping very carefully, trying his best not to make any noise. Damp footprints followers his every move.

Louis needed to be careful not to touch the door, it may have the same rebound spell as it had last time. Charmed. He was also very careful not to breathe too loudly, not wanting any sort of suspicion at all.

"We all have waited decades for the boy to show up. You know we have. And if you think that I am going to just sit here and watch you disregard the prognostication-" Killian continued, his voice very muffled.

A sharp turn is heard, and a booming voice comes after it all at once, like a bomb. First the landing, then the explosion.

"This is more than to make sure I receive a rapturous ending. This is about Stellarum and how the kingdom is on the edge of collapsing due to the citizens thinking we are subsiding due to the very boy the prognostication had written down." The slow tone to Harry's voice made Louis let out a breath of relief, since it seemed not to be in a hurry at all.

The omega furrowed his eyebrows at the word choice the two alphas outside were using.

Prognostications? That word immediately tied in with destiny,

With prophecy.

The door's handle was untouched, giving Louis certainty that Harry has not yet had the intention of coming in right away. Instead, voices emerged from the outside of the room.

"This is not the way, Harry. You and I both know that this is not the way. We are starting a war." Killian breathes put, but from his tone, it seems as though all he is saying is helpless.

"Do you have any idea what a war requires, Killian?"

Hairs on Louis' arm go up involuntarily, and shivers run down his spine as though it was a slide. The haunting and intimidating voice of Harry rings through his ears, causing his breath to hitch and made the omega grow closer to the hinge of the door to hear what the alphas outside were discussing more clearly.

"I believe I have went through enough for this kingdom to say I do, my king." Killian grits his teeth.

Louis' eyes widen as he couldn't hear a hint of unsettlement extracted from Killian's words.

"Then you are aware that two opposite adversaries are obligatory in order to even begin one. You cannot have a war if we are all on the same side." Harry's voice sounded threatening, and alarmingly calm.

"And you suggest we mentally enslave all creatures of Stellarum in order to accomplish peace? Or eliminate anyone who is against us? Because with all due respect my king, that is not the way to to avoid chaos. That is the very way to start it."

Once the sheet of silence is layer down like a thick blanket, heated and uncomfortable, a poignant sentence is spoken.

"One of the most powerful weapons used in a war is not an arrow nor a sword, it is determination. A reference." Harry spoke slow.

Killian gulped, "A reference?"

"Something, or someone, that they look back at for a sense of reassurance, a sense of aspiration. And the omega has become just that."

Louis brings his ear closer to the door hinge, wanting not to miss any part of this conversation, he bit his lip hard at every word the king was speaking before him.

"So you plan on wedding this... reference, to prove to Stellarum that even their Siren is a Loyalist..?" Killian asks quietly.

Louis freezes in his place, unable to move after hearing the word "wedding".

After a pause that seemed as though it lasted over a millennium, Harry's voice answered back a simple,

"Yes."

"But the omega is supposed to be your-" Killian started but stopped, and furrowed his eyebrows.

Louis got closer to the hinge, thinking that he missed an important piece of information.

His heart felt heavy, like a ten pound weight has been placed on top of it. He felt like he had no power over himself, and light. Except that excessive pounding that throbs in his chest.

But most of all, the omega felt angry. Furious. Livid.

He's being used against his own kind. Louis is being forced to be a traitor. It is like pulling the trigger on your own family, but much worse. He is an object, a game piece. But no, he refuses.

Although, once he grew closer to the hinge, wanting more and more of the information to transmit through, a sudden spark erupted. The spark was heated, and it was like a zap of electricity traveled through every inch of his body,

causing him to wince aloud in pain.

Charmed. The door was charmed.

The sharp clicks of the heels then formed again, closer to the door and the handle was then shaken after Killian said one final sentence before turning away.

"He's in there. The one we have been waiting for. It is now up to you to decide whether you are going to use him to give yourself a happy ending," a pause,

"Or use him for it's happy ending."

And then small footsteps went off, and the door was swung open.

And red eyes meet blue.

There was a pause, and the pair just stared down at each other, like a mental fight. A mental battle. But it was just as powerful as a physical battle.

Harry's Crimson eyes were nothing compared to Louis' light blue ones, the omega noted. They held bloodshed. They held the blood that should be pumping his heart. But it was questionable to the people if Harry had a heart. Snakelike, also a way to describe them.

It was as though Harry was trying to terrorize Louis, hoping he had dragooned into submitting. The way the king is looking below him as though Louis is some slab of meat waiting to be eaten. A pitiful slab of meat.

Yet, Louis stares right back.

His blue eyes which were usually calm waves that hit the shore are now frigid hurricanes, icicles are shooting out that are sharp like knives.

Daggers.

And that.. That extracted some of the bloodshed out of Harry's eyes.

"Stand." Harry commands, his voice equivalent to a thousand roaring dragons.

Louis stays in place, his eyes not leaving Harry's.

"I will not marry you." Louis replies, his hands still clutching the leather journal, Harry took notice.

Harry kneeled down to match up his height with Louis', and only three inches of space separated the two. Louis notices how Harry continued to look across his face, his eyes, his body language, looking for some sort of signal of fear. Trying to gauge his thoughts but finding nothing but depthless blue.

Harry's hand reached out to Louis, and the alpha tilted Louis' chin up to pull him closer, as though their lips were going to connect. Before Louis could pull away, Harry's heated breath hit his ear as he whispered the words gently but venomously,

"Stand, Omega."

Violent.

Vulgar.

Calm.

The inner acquiescent, submissive, in Louis forced himself up in one instant, regretting it instantly once the hellish, wicked, smirk appears on the king's face. Harry instantly stood up as well, the height difference between the pair coming into perspective once again as Louis' head meets with Harry's broad chest.

The Alpha grabbed the journal out of Louis' loosened clutches, and his large hand did not go unnoticed, it made Louis' muscles tighten, not wanting to know what those hands were capable of. The bad, or the good.

Quickly, Harry's accelerated alpha speed came through when Louis felt his shoulders being pinned down to familiar silk, causing an audible surprised gasp to come through the air.

The towel was threatening to slip off of Louis' now dry nude body, not covering any of his modesty. Harry hovered on top of him, not touching the omega but having the same affect as if he were.

The same heated breath came in contact with Louis' ear once more.

"Tell me Omega, what were you doing prying in my papers?"

Louis bit his lip, "I wasn't going through your th-"

A sharp smack landed directly on Louis' arse, the same leather from the journal.

Louis let out a whimper of discomfort at the aftermath of the strike, a thermal throb left.

"Do not lie, Louis, you promised me before. My papers did not have wet, finger-printed drops. I'm going to ask you again, what were you doing prying in my papers?" Harry asks one more time, his voice threatening but oddly even.

Louis was stuck in place, as though he was charmed to be still. But even he knew that wasn't the case. The omega grit his teeth before simply answering,

"I was looking for something to help me find a way out." Louis curses his omega essence. He really does.

Harry's long fingers trail down the soft towel, not even having to tug it to make it fall down and reveal Louis' freshly cleaned skin, which had layers of dirt removed to display tan flesh that Harry just wanted to devour as a deep growl erupts from within him.

"You disobeyed me when I told you to stay put." Harry states frigidly as his eyes were still in contact with the throbbing red curve the leather journal in his hands caused.

Louis figured that this was it for him, the amount of embarrassment he could hold in. Being exposed and molested by some treacherous King was not something that was appealing to him. Blue eyes flickered to the brown journal, and bravery seeps into his heart once more before he asks a question that could have costed his life,

"It's me- isn't it? I am the one you wrote about?" Louis breathes out boldly, his face beet red from the amount of humiliation traveling through his exposed body.

Harry flips Louis, causing their faces to meet and the omega's neck to be in Harry's grasp. The boy's manhood out and pressed against the king's covered leg, causing a small, forced whine to spew out.

"Twenty seven Mergunts are dead," Harry says low, tracing a finger over the shape of Louis' small, omega waist. "Hung by Kingdom forces."

Louis lets out a soft cry as Harry squeezes his thigh roughly before continuing, "They were not aware that their Siren is yet to be commissioned." In a whisper, "Yet to be claimed by the Royalty they are resisting against."

Louis ignored the sobs of his inner omega wolf, and grits out in a venomous, courageous hiss, "I am not, nor will I ever, be yours."

Harry lets out a dark hum, "You may have forgotten that you are not in power of your own composure. You belong to me now, Luna."

Louis lifts his hands and places it on top of the Harry's, which is still grasping his neck lightly. Claws that protrude out of the alpha barley dig in to the omega's neck, but they are still there. Louis presses his hand against the being on top of him's and swipes. Hard enough for the claws to tarnish the fresh area of skin into a scratch.

"Why don't you just kill me?"

Harry comes closer and glares at the scratch, "You? Why my Luna, that will only add oil to the fire."

Louis sighs in dread when the tie of the leather journal trails down his chest, his body immediately reacting to the contact.

And Louis finally feels it.

He feels his helplessness come alive, like the earth when it rains. It hits him like a storm filled with cold rage and heavy hail stones beating against his head. He is no longer the owner of his own self. He is simply hollow. It is the alpha above him who has Louis wrapped around his finger. It is him who will decide what the next move is.

It is him.

The last sentence before Harry exits the Locus proves as much,

"I will not accept any objections or resistance from you. Any form of riot that your body radiates off will have a consequence. A consequence that I will lay on you myself."

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	13. White Sound and Claims

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this may be confusing. half of this chapter is a simulation.

A BURNING WHITE LIGHT DANCED Upon the thin skin of Louis' eyelids, it's heated, illuminating, warmth teasing the fragile layer. The immediate instinct was to shut his eyes tighter, attempting to make the illusion of a darker place, but it had seemed as though the light remained constant no matter what.

The thermal power of the light suddenly caused the younger boy to open his eyes, and immediately cringe at the scintillating space surrounding him. His blue eyes struck a flash of grey and he yelled out in pain once a ring of scorching white light hit directly on his pupil.

Louis felt an odd tingling sensation on the back of his neck, as though someone was running through with it with a gel. The omega scrunched his eyes up as he saw the white light become dimmer,

And dimmer,

And dimmer,

Until suddenly it turned a yellow illusion, and Louis felt concrete below him.

All at once, he heard various kinds of footsteps and men on horses, trudging along by his side, paying Louis no mind at all. As though he wasn't even there. As though he didn't exist.

His vision was still fuzzy, but it was clear enough to see that the yellow hazed light above him was the source of the sunshine beating upon his skin, fresh hair hitting his nose as a reminder that he is indeed somewhere on the outside world.

Louis stands up, bewildered and dumbfounded, taking in the unfamiliar landscape until he realizes that it looks like the village he had strode last in the Highlands once he was entering the castle.

Shops, markets, bazaars, and stands scatter at every corner, making it impossible to miss them. It seemed as though no one even cared to acknowledge the fact that there was an omega laying unconscious on the cobblestone ground.

The castle was right in front of him as Louis looked with his hands shading his eyes from the unforgiving sun. It seemed so far away, so distant from where he was standing.

And the omega didn't even recall escaping.

"A-ah!" Louis gasped out once the tingling from the back of his neck turned to a harsh stabbing feeling, as though someone has just gashed his skin open with a knife and turned the blade.

His hand immediately flew at the point, tearing his eyes away from the castle. But before Louis could tend to his excruciating bruise, he turned and became face to face with a smiling woman.

Her eyes flashed grey before turning back to a dark brown.

"Hello, Louis!" She practically squealed, her smile not leaving, and in,y getting brighter if that was possible.

The omega was taken aback, not recognizing the female in front of him.

"Er... 'Ello. Have we met?" Louis queried, the pain on the back of his neck immediately going away.

The woman's cheeks were a flushed pink as the crinkles by her eyes dug deeper, her grin was so large it seemed as though they reached up to her brows.

She gave out a large cackle, throwing her head back. Louis looked around in confusion, trying to see if there was anyone doing anything that was somewhat humorous. Because he was sure that his simple greeting didn't have a trace of hilarity behind it.

She shook her head before returning her gaze back onto the boy, her head turned a bit on a tilt.

"Peregrine is waiting inside." The woman says, gesturing towards the small market right in back of her, her hand holding the door wide open.

"Excuse me? Who's Peregrine?" Louis asks, noting how the woman ignored his first question.

"He's inside. He has been waiting for a while now." The woman says, dodging questions once again, the smile still not leaving her face.

Louis shook his head, "I'm sorry, I believe you have the wrong person. I don't know a Peregrine."

Once Louis began stepping towards another direction towards the street, he was struck back in place as an invisible dome surrounding him made a static sound, and he came face to face with the woman once again.

She kept the grin, but her eyes pleaded.

"Peregrine is inside. He is waiting."

Her voice was shaky, it sounded as though it was on the verge of breaking.

Louis widened his eyes, and looked inside the market, seeing tables and chairs, and bookshelves filled with old ornaments that look as though they haven't been dusted for a millennium.

The omega nodded, "Okay, thank you." And he entered.

The door struck shut just as Louis entered the new ground carpet, and an old man stood there looking at me, not smiling.

Louis looked back, feeling that fog of unreality thicken around him. The day was warm but the fog was cold. At that point Louis still could have turned and walked out of it, back into the vibrant sunshine, and part of him wanted to do that.

Mostly, though, he was frozen by wonder and dismay. Also horror, he might as well admit it. Because serious illness does horrify us, doesn't it, and the old man who Louis figured was Peregrine was seriously ill. He could see that in a single glance. And mortally was probably more like it.

It wasn't just that what was supposed to be normally filled cheeks had gone slack and sallow. It wasn't the rheum that coated his blue eyes, which now looked washed-out and nearsightedly peering. It wasn't even his hair, almost all white and thinner than his concave stomach that went unnaturally inward- unsettling.

The old man flashed a quick smirk, showing off the decaying teeth that decorated the inside of his mouth, ready to fall out any minute. The yellow that painted over them put the pale sunshine outside to shame.

Peregrine smiled fully, and Louis saw all his saw he had lost teeth as well as weight. His gums looked pale and unhealthy. "How do you like me, Louis?"

And he began to cough, thick chaining sounds that came from deep inside him, sounding as though there was a factory pumping smoke from inside him. Louis opened his mouth, but no words came out. The idea of flight again came to some craven, disgusted part of his mind, but even if that part had been in control, he couldn't have done. Louis was rooted to the spot.

Peregrine got the coughing under control and pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket. He wiped first his mouth and then the palm of his hand with it.

Before he put it back, Louis saw it was streaked with red.

Peregrine looked up and stuck his bottom lip out, blood still dripping off, and pouted.

"Well, are you going to just stand there or tell me if I look wealthy or not, Tomlinson?" His voice echoed through the whole market.

Louis swallowed, "How do you know me?"

Peregrine snickered, his pale face going red as though he was holding in a fit of coughs.

"I was supposed to die over a decade ago, Louis. Don't you think I would know the name of the one who kept me alive?" He says as he grabs a stool from the lone space behind him.

Louis furrows his eyebrows, "I don't know who you are.."

Peregrine let out another loud cackle, "Well thank fuck you're here now, huh?"

Louis cringes visibly once the pain behind his neck grows into an uncomfortable heat, as though there was an glowing orb in there.

Peregrine muttered, "They didn't give us much time either..."

Louis feels the heat turn ice cold before disappearing completely, like a melting ice cube.

"Well sit, you bastard. I don't wish to speak to the savior while he is standing up and I'm sitting down at one thousand years old." Peregrine remarked.

Flicking his hand, a lone stool came rushing towards the omega, hitting his ankles softly, as though it was gesturing him to sit. And he did. A table was also pulled up.

Holding a small black box with an emerald gem on the middle.

"I want to die now, Tomlinson. I'm ready to die." Peregrine announced loudly, making Louis' temples.

"With all due respect, I don't know how that concerns me." The boy retorts.

"It concerns you because you are going to be the one to kill me."

Louis' head snapped to the old man who looked ludicrous in front of him now.

"Why would I do something like that?" The omega asks, his voice careful not to crack.

"You kept me alive, you now will end me." Peregrine says simply.

And in that very moment, Louis was sure that the man in front of him had completely lost his mind.

An odd wave went through Louis' head, causing his mouth to block the questions that were about to spew out. It was as though he was not allowed. His mind was not granted. Only his actions.

"No." Louis spoke.

"No?" Peregrine asks, the devilish smirk coming back into play.

"I won't kill you." Louis says back, his mouth not connecting with his thoughts.

"And why not?"

"I don't know you."

"I raped six children in my life. Three girls, three boys. All omegas." Peregrine states, the smirk still upon his face.

Louis grew tense, his heart thumping in his chest and now echoing through the room. His ears heated, as his cheeks flamed.

"W-wh-" the omega tried to speak.

"On a hot June day, I strapped a mother in a chair as I murdered her newborn in front of her, made her watch it. She had three miscarriages and this was her first miracle. I killed it." Peregrine went on.

The air around Louis grew thick and seeped under his skin, he felt his bones shake with horror and disgust. As his hands shake and forehead begins to mat with sweat. The blue eyes of the old man in front of him turns a flash of grey before back to their original color.

"I forced a boy to drown his father in a pond, and if he didn't, I would shoot him with an arrow. He was celebrating his eighth birthday." Peregrine continued.

Louis tasted the salty liquid spewing from his eyes come down to his mouth, "Shut up! Shut up already!"

The rough feeling on the back of Louis' neck turned into a sharp pang, itching the thin skin above him. The omega reached on the back and groaned loudly in pain, trying his best not to reveal a blood curling scream, but failing once his finger pads touched the area of the pain.

There was a gash. Louis felt it. A deep gash that had an odd pointed object protruding from it, bone? No, it couldn't be, it was cold, metal. Louis reached for it, letting out a long, loud, piercing cry, expressing his pain in its full potential.

The metal object came out and into his hand, it was a small blade covered in rust and blood.

Peregrine widened his smile, "Kill me, Louis."

Louis turned to him before jumping up and knocking the old man down to the carpet ground in a loud thump, holding the blade up to his neck. The omega breathed heavily, his eyes scanning Peregrine's.

Bloodshed.

Pain.

Terror.

Screams.

That's what his eyes were made of. As though all his victims' feelings were extracted from their bodies and into the pig eyed eyes of Peregrine. The blade was against the shit's neck, one swipe away from succeeding it's mission. One swipe away from being fulfilled.

But as Louis stared into Peregrine's eyes, he saw himself.

Not any better than him. A killer. Bloodshed upon his hands. No justice, no vengeance, no peace. Just himself carrying out a devilish work, becoming the same evil as the man below him.

"You damned being."

Louis took the blade away from his neck.

Peregrine let out a large cackle, and became in a fit of laughter. His feet shaking and sulked cheeks puff out and in air.

Next to him was the box with the emerald on top.

Louis picked it up.

With his body still in place, on top of Peregrine, he noticed a swell on the side of the bastard's neck. A moving swell. It was dark, inky. Looking as though it was about to explode. The emerald on the box was glowing, and so was the swell.

Louis placed the blade on the swell, Peregrine's eyes widened.

"No! Please, don't!" The old man yelled.

Louis swiped the blade, slicing the skin open and freeing the black swell as it oozed out black liquid. It was almost gelatinous, but thick in consistency. It seeped into the black box that was placed in front of it, looking absolutely venomous.

It seemed as though it was fighting back, livid that it had escaped it's host. Livid that it didn't stay. Livid that it was back in the box. Like it belonged there. Like it was supposed to be there.

The box shut tight with a snap, the emerald stopped glowing and was back to it's dull green color. Louis gasped as the box shook with an ecstatic sound, like the venom inside was yelling.

Peregrine gasped in relief and his shaking hands reached over to Louis' cheekbones, hovering over them. He smiled and tears came out of the bug eyed eyes he held.

No more terror or bloodshed.

Just peace.

Light.

"Thank you." Peregrine's voice was soft, no longer raspy. Quiet.

And his eyes closed as his body relaxed into the carpet, until it sunk. Sunk under the ground.

Louis looked below him, and gasped out in utter disbelief. His hands started to touch the floor, groping the ground, looking for a gateway, looking for something. His body was stuck, the blade still clutched in his hands.

"Peregrine? Peregrine!" Louis yelled, but there was no response.

Only the familiar burning white light.

The light came from above, and caused Louis to lay back on the ground, attempting to shield his eyes from the unexpected luminous orb. The thermal power of the light was strong, and the ringing of it made the younger boy cry out.

Louis shut his ears and let the luminous light burn his eyelids, his voice was inaudible through the deafening ringing of what the light may have produced.

"Stop! Stop it!" Louis helplessly pleaded to no one, nothing.

And it did.

It all stopped.

Suddenly, the light and the ringing came to a halt.

His eyes opened to five men, only one of who he recognized, looking below him, all with looks of awe.

Below him was a large steel plate, cold against his back and wires attached to his head. Louis heard a woman's voice say,

"Total duration of simulation, two minutes and eight seconds."

Simulation. All of that was a simulation? It wasn't.. Real?

Louis' sweaty palms and a pang of guilt in his chest spoke for itself, as his head throbbed and breathing was uneven.

Killian, who had his mouth hung open in disbelief shook his head.

"I believe it is true. We have found your Luna, Harry. He passed the trials."

Louis' body shot up at the word 'trial.'

"Peregrine- he-" Louis started, his voice desperate and his mind pleading for answers.

But his scattered thoughts were quickly put a stop once he looked around him.

Women and men in white coats as he was in a sheet that draped over him lightly. Killian and King Harry standing up with unreadable expressions, like they were having conversations without words.

Harry steps towards Louis, his face a vast desert, his eyes holding the oasis. Yet, the only move he makes is a low growl emerging from the back of his throat, the windows of his face letting out a possessive clutch.

And he provided only one word,

"Mine."

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	14. Demands and Awakenings

HARRY HAS LIVED TO SEE FIVE Hundred potential heirs, each one alike the other. Fierce, strong, resistant, hard headed, and obstinate. All match up to what Stellarum's prophecy spoke of a Luna, of a queen. But they lacked just one characteristic,

Compassion.

One of the most emphasized idiosyncrasy of all. The ability to have mercy, to have patience, to have sympathy and understanding. The ability to be a solace.

Five hundred.

All five hundred have been tested.

Dosed by magic, and their minds put under a simulation. A false reality that is used to see if any of them are the ones the prognostication states.

It all starts the same.

You enter a market place, and are put in front of a man who claims that you have kept him alive all these years, and that he is ready to taste death.

You refuse, for you do not want to kill.

The man pleads again, you deny.

This continues until the man tells the unforgivable actions he has committed. Something cracks inside of you, spilling all the hatred and the utter disgust you hold. The crack spills out black, venomous, burning, hate. It is then when the tested heir begins to let their walls submit, ready to put the elderly man to his desired everlasting slumber.

Then you have failed.

But why?

Why would you fail? You killed a malicious being, you should have passed.

Because, if you could have not handled what sins the elderly man has held inside him,

How could you possibly handle what sins Harry has committed?

How could you possibly be a solace? A haven? A Luna? A remedy?

Stellarum holds more crime, immortality, wickedness, and sinister doings than what the elderly man has done in the simulation. Only a true queen to the throne can overcome it and cut away the evil.

It is all a metaphor, after all.

Yes, all five hundred have failed.

But not Louis.

Harry doesn't understand it. The omega took the longest duration of time not speaking to the man, Peregrine, but the most time looking deep into his eyes. As though there was something buried in them.

The shirt two minutes felt like millenniums, the simulation projected above there for everyone in the white room to see.

"Shut up! Just shut up!" Louis had yelled, as though he was truly provoked by what Peregrine was stating.

Harry's head thumped, a venom beating, begging him to go, to not see more of this boy, It's claws digging underneath the beast's skin.

Yet he stayed.

Once the omega reached to the back of his neck and grabbed out the dagger of glass, and pounced on top of Peregrine, Harry finally let himself relax. It was almost over. Louis would kill the heathen.

But the omega didn't.

Louis just stayed there for a moment, his blue eyes looking sharper than the glass blade itself. Then the whole room almost shook with utter awe and shock once the blade didn't kill Peregrine.

And the rest, was static.

"I believe it is true. We have found your Luna, Harry. He passed the trials."

Mine. Harry doesn't understand what does it.

Maybe it was the omega who was still bewildered, looking around the room with the guilty disposition, as though he did harm. Or maybe it was the fact that the rough venom underneath his skin became still like ice, not daring to make a single move. Instead, something else awakened inside him.

His wolf.

Everything else, besides Louis, was blurry.

Harry's past mistakes, Stellarum, rebellions, uprisings, It, the prophecy, nothing mattered or made sense at the moment. It was just Louis. His mate. His omega. His antidote. His.

And the alpha knew, that the omega was the one.

The one that is written in the prophecy.

The one that will either be his remedy,

Or the very thing that will burn Harry's heaven to the ground.

Abruptly, an electric jolt runs up Harry's spine and instinctively, he inhales deeply through his nose. An innocent, a pure smell seeps its way underneath Harry's skin. His claws protruding out in an instant, as he feels a growl emerge from inside him. Yearning to claim the omega in front of him,

Make Louis his.

The omega was in a panic state. Unsure what is real or what is not real, the magic still having a ringing affect upon him. And it made Harry see red. A boiling, livid, red. It seemed as though all he needed was the omega to be in tact, calm, safe.

"Look at me," Harry demands roughly with his voice echoing deep throughout the room, something inside him craving to see the icy eyes his omega holds.

The other's emotions blare like sirens to Harry -turmoil, confusion and guilt. A low, threatening growl once agin makes its way out from the core of the Alpha's chest, prepared to defend the being in front of him with his life.

Mine. Only mine.

"Your majesty, we offer to transfer the Luna back to the Locus under a slumber inducing spell, he is very co-" One alpha in a white coat spoke up rather boldly, not knowing what is yet to come.

Suddenly alerted and unfortunately reminded of another presence, Harry grimaces before shooting him a deathly glare along with a scowl, his instincts prepared to bury whoever dared to interfere with him protecting what belonged to him.

Crimson, not red. Harry sees Crimson this time. Livid Crimson.

Before he realizes what he's doing, Harry shoves the other male away from the boy, crowding him, ready to tear the Man With The White Coat's throat out with his teeth. Everything else was just blurry, no sounds of "Stop it, Harry!" From Killian affected the alpha.

The white coated alpha makes a inhuman sound from inside his body as his face grows a calm violet, desperate for a breath of air. Harry's claws being one move away from slitting his victim's throat.

But the tantalizing smell of Louis puts everything to a halt, reminding Harry of the precious omega and how much he is needed to be protected. Innocent. Brave. His.

Harry turns to Killian, not daring to even catch a glimpse of Louis, because he knows if their eyes make a connection, the alpha King would take his omega right there in the room. Ready to mark him,

Ravish him,

Claim him,

Mine.

"Clear the Locus hall from all alphas and guards. I want no one to be around the Luna. Anyone I see will be killed on the spot," Harry grits his teeth before continuing,

"Announce to all of Stellarum to submit, for they now have a new Queen."

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	15. Bone Treats and Readings

IT IS A DARK HALL THAT Harry was walking in, with cracked tiles and peeling walls that have become homes for strange insects. It had the stench of rotten bodies and booze emerging from each cell that you pass by. The Forbidden Dungeon isn't somewhere you would want to spend your time in.

But here lied someone that held more knowledge than God himself.

As soon as Harry's omega was carried away, weak and confused, to the Locus once again, Harry dropped The-Man-With-The-White-Coat to the floor all at once. Looking down at the body with a disgusted look. But he knew he couldn't stay here long to just attack the body,

Harry now has found the omega he has been searching for over a century and he craves answers.

The lit torch was almost pitiful, it's soft gleam unable to accomplish an illusion of light. But it seemed that Harry's footsteps let out more of a strong illumination than any fire could ever. Powerful and electric. Intimidation lingered with every sharp tap.

Screams and curses were spat at the alpha, locked up and caged prisoners pleading for their liberation, while others were threatening if anything else was to be done otherwise. But their endless shouts took no effect on the king, who had one goal he aimed to accomplish here.

"Your majesty," a guard bowed once Harry had reached the entrance of a large cave-like opening, if possible, it was even more ebony than the whole dungeon itself. It radiated power yet death.

"Open the gate, I wish to see Rabidus." Harry spoke, the name echoing throughout, everyone growing quiet through great fear. For that name has not been spoken for decades.

The guard gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing low and back into place, jaw clenching.

"My king, surely you know w-" the guard started, attempting to reason with such a ludicrous request.

"Are you denying me, Beta?" Harry's voice was like a snake, slithering closer to the man's ear, ready to bite and inject it's venom with one wrong move.

"No, my king." The guard says, voice ready to crack.

"I am an impatient man, surely you are aware of that, correct?"

"Yes, my king."

"Then Beta, open the gate." Harry paused with each word spoken, his red eyes growing darker.

The guard nods, and with one last bow, he makes his way to a large handle with a rod sticking out side and a thick rope above, holding the large steel gate, able to twist. The guard puts his hands upon the handle and begins to reel it up, letting the gate scream a screeching noise.

It was obvious that it has been so long since the turnstile has been lifted, the rust and dirt building up at its ends contributing to the observation. The smell of corpses and blood trails out like a wave of water, making the guard cough violently, but Harry allowed it to seep into him.

Once the loud click was heard, Harry grabbed his torch and entered the abyss, a void yet to be filled with weak fire.

The floor was now not tile, but dirt and bones. A small slit on the concrete walls that could be called a window was oozing the moonlight that lit the front of the cave, a large cell.

In the cell was chalk markings, tallies all over.

And one creature made it's last tally.

"29,200," it's raspy voice said shakily, haunting and venomous, "My old friend, I have been waiting 29,200 days."

The creature turns around faces Harry, a grin plastered.

It's skin was a scaled green, rotted and chewed. Busted lips dripped blood, teeth decaying and stained with dirt as though it attempted to chew through the dirt below himself. His eyes resembled a crocodiles, protruded with a yellow to emerald contrast, a black ring around them brought immense attention.

His hair was shaggy, unwashed and thin, long enough to touch his shoulders, which were low and sagged. His clothes were ripped and some pieces were laying down, the rips matching to his sharp claws for nails, which were layered with unidentified grime.

He once a powerful sorcerer. Able to turn an ocean into solid gold. The sky's stars into diamonds, rain into silver. The ground he walked in would rise to life, as would the dead roses he would touch with one two of his pointer finger. He had fought in many wars, alone against one thousand men. Won all of them.

Though there was only one man who had defeated him, Harry himself.

"The omega from the prophecy," Harry spoke, ignoring the previous phrase that came out of the creature's mouth,

"Has been found, Rabidus."

A howling laugh emerged from Rabidus, his whole body shaking with the facade of amusement and pleasure. It was high and banshee-like, as though he was screaming at the same time, sarcastic even.

"Is that what you call him, an omega?" Rabidus, says as he comes close to the bars of his cell, "my dear friend, that boy is a savior." Another chuckle.

"Louis William Tomlinson, Lowland omega, came with Samuel Bernini Ortan, Lowland alpha. They both were trying to steal a wand, am I correct?" Rabidus asks, the smile on his face not leaving for a second, but even more wider.

Not even giving Harry a time to answer, he continued,

"Oh! You killed the Samuel boy, tortured him to death, eh? Puh!" He erupted in sinister giggles.

Harry clenched his fists, "How do I use Louis to break the curse, Rabidus?"

"Uh uh uh uh uh, Harold," Rabidus tsked, twirling his long fingers together, "You know I do not find pleasure in this 'simple talking' you lot do, a riddle would do, won't it?"

Through gritted teeth, Harry says impatiently, "Continue."

"Ah, yay!" Rabidus exclaimed disturbingly, trailing his long fingernails down his chin as though he was thinking in deep thought,

"Ooh, I got one! But it is a joke rather than a riddle, a disclaimer there. But I'll tell it, for the joy of things. What do you call a living abortion?"

A pause for effect occurred,

"King Harry! Get it? Because your own mother-"

And then he howled and howled with laughter, blood sprayed from his mouth, his hands shook the bars of his cell as he continued his fits of minatory hysterics.

Harry rushed to the cage and, through the bars, grabbed onto the collar of Rabidus' suit, making their faces line up, Harry's horns ready to slit a throat. Red eyes meeting with a big eyed green.

"You're going to fucking tell me how to break this spell or I'll make the banshees suck the life out of you until your skull caves inwards." The king threatens with a low growl, letting the collar go and holding onto the bars himself.

Rabidus shoves himself to the wall of his cell, whimpering at the feel of the concrete jabbing at his back. He grabs a sharp bone from the ground and sighs,

"Alphas, they never know how to have fun, do they?" He mutters under his breath to himself, before holding his hand out,

"Your hand if you please."

Harry gave it in through the bars, knowing that Rabidus had no power here to use magic or harm anyone in any sort of way, he too was cursed.

The sharp bone dug into Harry's skin hard, slitting the layer open and watching how the newly made gash in his hand stained the bone with the thick, vermillion liquid.

Rabidus pulls the bone away, and looks down at it hungrily. He lifts it up to his chipped lips and slides out his tongue, which was littered with blisters and warts. He gave the bone a lick and his eyes changed from a brilliant green to a wild violet.

"Your kingdom," he says slowly, in a trance, "your kingdom is collapsing miserably. All the magical creatures of Stellarum are realizing their leader is stealing their magic."

Harry listens on, waiting for the atmosphere of mystery and silence,

"Your curse is also growing stronger, the venom of evil is close to your heart. And once it does, nothing can stop the bloodshed you will display on Stellarum. You will have no control over your own body. This time you'll be the parasite screaming inside your own host," Rabidus continues, this information sounding all too familiar to Harry.

"The antidote is what the prophecy states, you need the Omega to guide It out of you with his ability of love. Any other method will only speed up the clock of self destruction. It will only make the evil seed planted inside of you grow stronger."

"But how, how can he love a brute, a beast? Cut through the most venomous and demonic pieces of me with love?" Harry spat angrily, unsatisfied with this antidote.

"The thing about true love, dearie, is that it can heal over five hundred thousand wounded dragons, and destroy one million galaxies. Be careful with how you deal with yours." Rabidus states, his voice collected for the first time Harry has been in his cell.

"He won't be able to love me, he is repulsed by how I am." Harry denied, trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

"If Louis Tomlinson truly is the omega from the prophecy, he is able to love the most foulest of beings." Rabidus reminds.

Harry stands straight, his head thumping with sharp shards of the familiar discontentment he has come to know so well.

"And if his love destroys instead of heals?" Harry queries one last time.

"Well then," Rabidus picks up the bone licking the remains of dried blood, "Cheers."

With one turn, Harry begins to head out of the cave before one last sentence is shouted before him by the creature,

"Remember, old friend, once you find a way to bottle up love, you can have mastery over the universe, if you please." Rabidus says, his eyes shifting from the violet back to the emerald green.

And the howls of laughter begin once again.

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	16. Breakfast and Casters

IT WAS NOT THE HEATED Water pad that was lied down on Louis' forehead that awoke him, if I am to be quite honest with you. It was quite the opposite really, the warmth that seeped beneath his skin was actually encouraging the slumber he was in.

But what did awake the omega was the odd slobbering and heavy breathing coming down on him from above.

"I think he's waking up! He's so pretty."

"Hush Caster, and get off of him!"

"Oh, I just adore him!"

"Niall, do not make me repeat myself. Get off of the Luna."

"Buuut Yūki..."

"Off."

"Okay, okay... wait! He is waking up!"

A weight shifted on Louis' body, causing the boy's nose to scrunch up in discomfort. His eyelashes fluttered a little, trying not to shut immediately due to the heavy light spewing from the large windows on each side of the Locus' large walls.

But Louis does wish he kept his eyes closed when he had the chance, because once he open them, all he sees is the face of a blonde boy who had a large grin and heavy breath falling on to him.

"Good morning, Luna!" The face said, causing Louis to let out a loud scream of surprise.

"CRAP!" Louis shouts, kicking the Blonde-Smiling-Face-Boy right in the face, causing him to fall off the bed they were on.

Louis ignored the sharp stabbing in his head that occurred when he quickly retracted his body farther from the boy he had just encountered, going to the other side of the bed out of surprise and instinct. The omega looks around and lets out a loud, frustrated groan. Back at the Locus, yet again.

"You're pretty and strong! The whole package deal. I can say that I am honored to be your royal subject, Luna." The Blonde-Smiling-Face-Boy says lazily, a toothy grin with red around his lips from the mark Louis gave him, his disposition unbothered.

"Niall, get up from the ground." A tiresome voice perked up from the doorway, revealing a very lanky man. He had monolid eyes, olive skin, a neck that was covered with odd claw marks, and radiant black hair.

"Sorry Yūki," Niall murmured happily,

"I'm never going to wash my face again." Niall stated giddy, sounding pleased that he got kicked by royalty. The Caster brushed off the dirt that covered his yellow suit.

Before Louis could question or respond to the two creatures in front of him, a striking stab hits his head once again, like a knife being twisted in his brain. Louis lets out a small scream, his pain overpowering his ability to make noise.

He tries to stretch, but then realizes there is a chain around his neck, a collar. Holding him in place like a prisoner.

Yūki rushed to the side of the excessively extravagant bed, and adjusted the heated pad before soothing Louis back down on the bed with his gentle hand.

"You passed out, my Luna. Try not to move that much, it causes irritation and heavy overwhelming pain to the head. Aftermath of the simulation test." He spoke softly.

"Which you absolutely smashed, by the way! You should have seen the look on everyone's faces when it was announced that you were queen. They were all like 'what?' and I was all like 'in your face greedy omegas' and then they were all like-" The blonde Caster rambled on with odd hand motions to go along with it.

"Niall." Yūki exasperatedly groaned.

"Sorry, shutting down." Niall made a ziplock motion upon his lips and threw away the imaginary key behind him.

"Me... queen? I'm not the queen," Louis says slowly, not trusting his own voice not to quiver.

Yūki chuckled nervously, now positive that the omega in front of him is going absolutely crazy, "Of course you are, my Luna. You surely know that."

"There must be a mistake, I didn't marry the king." Louis sounded like he was just a second away from breaking down to a nervous wreck.

"Weeeellllll, to be quite honest with you, the wedding ceremony wasn't very orthodox, I mean, the king just demanded that it would be announced that you were the Luna of all Stellarum-" Niall peeped out, not taking a breath between any of the words he spoke before Yūki flicked his head to stop him.

Louis' eyes widened and mouth went ajar, "Holy shit,"

It all clicked to the omega immediately then.

He remembered what Harry had told him when they were both gathered at the Garden of White Roses:

"There is a problem, Louis. A problem that is going around Stellarum, do you know what that problem is?" Harry asks.

"No, my king." Louis replies.

"Your story has been going around. Hero, that's what they call you, Omega. Do you know why that is a problem?"

"No, my King."

"Don't lie, you promised. Do you know why that is a problem?" Harry seethed.

Louis replied forcefully, "Yes, my King."

Harry smiles sarcastically yet contently, "Good. Because so does everyone else. The Lowlanders see you as a symbol, an open window."

Louis doesn't reply, all he wants right now is for Harry to continue.

"An open window, yes. Some sort of eye opener for them. Same with the magical creatures all around. They have heard about your attempt to free them." Harry tells, Louis widens his eyes.

"Your attempt gives them hope, Omega. And it is a threat to the kingdom." Harry pauses, giving Louis a chance to talk.

"It must be a fragile kingdom if an omega threatens it, my king."

Louis wants to take back those words.

Harry lets out a humorless laugh, "Yes, Louis, very fragile indeed. Almost like glass. And it takes a lot to put glass back together, omega. A lot of work."

Louis takes another hitched breath in, "What are you suggesting?"

Harry looks up from Louis' skin and back into his eyes, "Not suggesting, Louis, I'm ordering." Harry steps back and puts his hands behind his back, crossed, and stars walking in a circle.

"I am ordering you to join me and destroy this.." Harry picks up a flower in his hands, "hope." Harry crushes the flower.

It all now runs back to Louis and hits him like a stallion. Marriage. That was the way Harry was going to crush this hope. By marrying Louis and proving to all beings that this was still his game,

And they were just measly pawns.

But there has to be more... what was it about prophecy that Killian said when Louis was eavesdropping on the conversation from before?

"Niall, why don't you get the tray of breakfast up on that stool I put it on." Yūki dismissed he boy, sounding like he wanted the blonde Caster to get away as fast as possible. He obliged hesitantly.

"He's right, isn't he? That bastard!" Louis ignored the pounding in his head, his boiling anger taking over the pain.

"Well, bastard isn't the adjective some usually use to describe me, it's mostly cute and enterprising.." Niall mumbled, frowning and set the tray of breakfast on the silk bed.

Louis' eyes flicker above him and sees a tray carrying a loaf of cinnamon covered bread along with butter, and a butter knife beside it. A tall glass of milk balanced on the edge.

"He means the King, you bogle." Yūki told Niall, as the other Caster let out a small giggle and an, 'oh!'

"No... oh no no no no no... this isn't happening.. this is not happening.." Louis whimpered to himself, trying to convince himself that this is all one bad dream.

But there were more negatives than positives if Louis were to deny whatever Harry was planning to do with him. His village and everyone inside will be killed. But if Louis were to go along with the foul creature's intentions, he could offer safety to his family in the Lowlands, including Sam.

Sam.

Louis looks back at the Blonde-Smiling-Face-Boy, Niall. The feeling of familiarity seeps in, and he realizes he was in the Court Room while he and Sam were having their trial. He was the Caster! He must know where his brother might be!

"Why is he looking at me?" Niall whispered to Yūki.

"You!" Louis pointed at the blonde.

Niall flashes another smile at Yūki, "He acknowledged my presence!"

"You were the one at the hearing!"

"Oh my Golems!" Niall was almost shaking with enthusiasm and excitement, "You know me!?"

"Niall.. calm down... you'll startle.." Yūki warned but it was no use when Niall shut him up with a finger getting pressed to the other Caster's lips.

"You were the one who gave me and my friend Samuel Berning Ortan a truth serum, am I correct?" Louis asked, determined to get information out of this boy.

Niall let out a high-pitched squeal, "Yes, yes! That was me! Oh Luna, you have no idea how much of an honor it is that you know who I am."

Yūki swallowed down a sarcastic comment.

"Right.. Um, Niall, can I ask something of you?" Louis asks, stretching the pauses between his words.

Niall nodded fast and got closer to Louis, holding the omega's hand and looking into his eyes in awe, "It would be my greatest accomplishment if I could complete what you ask of me, Luna. Please,"

This Caster could not possibly be serious.

Louis looked deeper in to Niall's eyes, "Where is the other alpha, Samuel, being held at? The one who was with me during the trial. He was carried out by guards."

Niall snorted.

"Oh, that's all? That's an easy-peasy one, he's-" Niall began to answer, before Yūki breaks up the two.

"Niall, that is classified information, we aren't permitted to tell this to him." Yūki said in a worrisome tone, not making eye contact with Louis.

"Oh come on Yūki, he deserves to know. It is his best friend we are talking about. What if someone hid me and didn't tell you where I was?" Niall queried, and Louis nodded in his defense.

"I'd be forever grateful," Yūki murmured before recollecting himself,

"No, absolutely not. I would rather like it if the king didn't hang my head on his wall, thank you very much."

"He's safe, I'll tell you that much." Yūki says, finally looking at Louis, allowing the omega to take a breath of relief.

Niall stared at him hesitantly.

"At least let me take the poor boy of the Locus, he's been in here for days." The blonde Caster proposes.

Louis hums at the thought, "I would like that very much."

"Oh please, Yūki?" Niall got on his knees and tucked his wand in the pocket of his coat.

"No."

"Pretty please with sugar on top?"

"No."

"A-and cherries and lemons?"

"Nial-"

"Oh! And sprinkles and cinnamon and blueberries and gumdrops and chocolate and-"

"Niall, The last thing I need is to lose my wand for taking the Luna out of the Locus." Yūki whispered back, more harshly.

Louis automatically shut up and a light bulb went off. He immediately turned his head,

"Wand, you say?"

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	17. Forbidden Floors and Labor

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?" Yūki wails, has he strides down the castle's spiral staircase, long legs for some reason unable to keep up with Louis' short ones.

"You have done it this time, Niall! The king will be livid when he finds out his Luna is out wandering in the castle walls without his supervis-" Yūki angrily whispers aloud, Louis stopped and put his pointer finger to the Caster's mouth,

"You worry too much, don't you?" The omega asked, not expecting an answer, continuing down the stairs.

Niall chuckles, "I'm tellin' ya, this ones a keeper!"

Yūki's face grows red as he continues to chase after the pair of low malefactors. "Excuse me for not wanting to have my head hung above the King's bed!"

"With a face like that, I don't believe the king wants your head hung above his bed," Niall commented in a whispered voice as Louis pursed his lips, trying not to let out a snort.

Louis quickly added on, "We aren't doing anything bad, I still have the chain collar on me. And I deserve to explore, this is my home from now on, after all."

Niall nods eagerly in agreement.

"We were only supposed to deliver the Luna his breakfast and le-" Yūki argued back but had no time before Niall stopped and let out a small squeal.

"Duck!" He whisper-yelled, all three of the creatures quickly crouched down on one wide stair and under the thick rails as a group of elves walk past below them.

Elves were a race of pointy-eared humanoids who excel in magic (and archery if you count it as an odd outdoor hobby). But after the kingdom of Stellarum extracted their so called privileges of 'unreasonable magic use', the elves became vulnerable for any work to fill up their time possible.

They used to be depicted as lively creatures. Uppity and perky, olive green skin with wild eyes looking for an adventure. They always had high voices and a skip, a rhythm, to their walks.

But, like with all other magical creatures, once your magic is taken away from your body, you change. And the elves show that. Sagging bags under their eyes, a slow dead-like walk, and a groaning sound emerging from every step they take.

"Why are they here?" Louis asks curiously, just as they pass by.

"Elves," Niall rolls his eyes, "they're here mostly for cleaning and washing, but will not hesitate to rat out anyone out of place for respect from the kingdom. Credit points, if ya will."

"Which is precisely why we should return-" Yūki began, his voice toned with suggestion and apprehension. But was left ignored.

"They're gone now, let's go!" Louis holds Niall's hand and rushes down of what is left of their distance to the Royal Hall.

"I'm never going to finish an opinionated thought, am I?" Yūki whines to himself before going after the two.

The castle's interior was nothing like what Louis had imagined back at the Lowlands. There was a chandelier hanging from every edge, reflecting the sun's light into diamond patters on the beige walls, which had rich colored curtains draped upon them.

Each floor was wide, filling up only by marching guards trailing up and down the tiles over and over again. There were flights of stairs shaped in an odd spiral way that lead to different sections. Right now the boys left the Locus, the king's private floor, and now had just entered the Main Hall.

And the Main Hall was nothing like any other floor there was.

"Wow," Louis whispered in wonder and surprise, startlingly impressed with astonishment.

""Wow" is right." Niall smiled back at him, watching out the omega look all around the extravagant hall.

The Main Hall seemed larger than the Lowland area where Louis had been living in. It had lustrous, pure-white walls that seemed to emit an angelic glow throughout. A throne was seen on top of a short five grand steps. It was placed in the center of the grand room, just in front of two ceiling-high stained glass windows that looked out to the beautiful scenery of the land or Stellarum just beyond.

On the right side wall of the room stood very old, very large, beautiful mirrors of pure gold. The light that was oozing out of the windows in different colors of the sunset caught them at the perfect angle, reflecting patterns of roses and green grass to the walls all over.

Above them, fairies and nymphs flew, raining down gold dust that sparkled different spectrums of the rainbow, from glittered reds to deep plum purples. It all gave the castle a seasoning of greatness and extravagance. But of course, Louis should have expected as much from this hall. For this is the one where many come to dine, dance, and meet the king from all over.

The aroma altogether was of a rose garden and sweet honey that you could only imagine dripping from a tree of gold. Overall, the hall was of incomparable beauty. No artist could ever paint or capture the excessive grandness of what Louis seeing right now.

The omega was in awe.

"Oh, I forgot! You didn't even eat breakfast!" Niall squealed suddenly, still holding the chain that led to the collar that Louis was wearing around his neck.

"His food was waiting for him back in the Locus.." Yūki's voice trailed, worrisome.

"It's probably cold by now. And who even likes cold cinnamon bread for breakfast? Do ya like cinnamon bread?" Niall asks Louis curiously.

"I don't even know what cinnamon is," Louis chuckled, causing the Caster to gasp.

"And now there is no time to waste. I'm not sleeping till this boy tastes some fresh, warm, cinnamon bread." Niall promised before getting out his wand.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Yūki asks, snatching the wand from Niall's hand.

"The kitchen is ages away, flying will be much faster." Niall reasoned, whining.

"Ah yes, using your wand right in front of the omega who was trying to steal one in the first place. Ace idea." Yūki sarcastically stated.

"You believe I'm going to steal the wand right now, in this position?" Louis tugged at his chain collar to make a point.

"There is no telling what your kind would do." Yūki snapped back.

"My kind?" Louis questioned angrily at the choice of words, obviously offended.

"Did I stutter?"

"No, but you're about to once a few of your teeth go missing." Louis shot back, causing Niall to erupt in small giggles.

"He's innocent, Yūki. The quicker we go to the kitchen, the quicker we return the Luna back to the Locus." Niall convinced.

It was silent for a few moments, as Yūki looked at Louis and Niall, then back and Louis and then back at Niall. The conservative Caster let out a large sigh, had a flash of his will scurry through his head, and gave in.

"Fine, but we are not using your wand, faulty thing. I'll be the one guiding us." Yūki orders, earning eager nods from Louis and Niall.

"Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Niall gave a slobbery kiss to the side of his fellow Caster's face.

"Eugh, and they they say Basilicas know how to drool.." Yūki muttered before taking out his own wand and pointing it up towards the group.

"Now huddle together, it'll make it a whole lot easier," He says, Louis immediately being suffocated between Niall's arms.

"Levate!" Yūki says aloud, sparks of silver flying out of the point of his wand and onto the bunch.

The sparks transformed quickly into a gold dust, looking as though it was a sand storm, and swooped up the three creatures at once. It circled and swirled, covering every bit of their skin and hair. Not leaving a single spot uncovered. All at once Louis couldn't feel the marble floor beneath his feet anymore.

The ceiling above appeared closer and closer, and Niall's hold on Louis became looser and looser. The chain collar even was flying above with them all, causing an uncomfortable feeling around Louis' neck. They were shaking and turning, before they stood up straight all at once.

"This wand of mine is like a steering wheel, so however I point it will affect all of us together. So do be careful in the back, I do wish to return the Luna in one piece." Yūki says before angling his wand to a wall,

"Procedere!" Yūki bellowed and all at once, they were flying towards a thick, hard, life threatening, wall.

Louis' hair was flying all over as well, his screams were drained out by the whips of the air.

"Now, don't worry Luna!" Niall screamed from the back of him, "we won't die!"

Louis watched the wall grow closer to Yūki, it's egg-shelled color waiting for some vermillion mess to stain it. But just as they were about to hit it, a large opening appeared and sucked them in quickly into an abyss of darkness, closing behind them.

Louis did not even have a moment to take this magic all in before he was spit out of the dark abyss into the light again, from another wall and onto the unfamiliar ground texture. Groans and gasps were heard from all over, as Louis moaned in pain once lifting his head.

"You really need to work on your transportation spells, Yūki."

"I would if I earned a better wand, but following you, I don't think that will happen any time soon."

A hand helped Louis up from the floor, and Niall smiled at him before announcing, "Welcome to the Royal Kitchen, Luna!"

"Kitchen. It's just kitchen. Stop putting Royal before everything in the castle." Yūki groaned, earning a flick on the head by Niall.

Louis opened his eyes and saw not just the two Casters, but over ten other human-like creatures in the area.

"They're called Brownies, creatures that would be wearing all brown clothing and sneak into homes at night to help with household chores. But hey, they can cook a mean Shepard's Pie." Niall explained as the Brownies continued to stare at Louis.

"Um, hi." Louis muttered, feeling their gazes burn holes into his skin.

They continued to stare at him with unreadable expressions large, grey eyes.

"Alright, now you're just making the Luna weirded out, whip him up a loaf of cinnamon bread, won't ya?" Niall dismissed, as they all immediately go back to their odd ovens.

"It smells so good in here." Louis moaned, the aroma of dough and citrus making its way up to his nose.

"We prepare food here for banquets, celebrations, balls, etcetera.." Niall explained, picked up a folder-looking-thing from a nearby table.

"What's that?" Louis asks.

"Here's something called a menu, it's a list of things that the Brownies make. You say what food you want from here, and they make it for you." Niall says.

"So you're telling me, I say a food from this list and it appears in front of me, like magic?" Louis questions, astonished.

"Kinda, yeah. Since you're not used to many of these things, you might want to start off with something like an apple salad-" Niall suggests but gets cut off by Louis' order.

"In that case, can I have garlic potato wedges, cheese and pate squares, roast goose with prune stuffing, spiced apricot and raisin chutney, pickled pears, plum pudding, lemon cake, and creamy shrimp-and-cheese linguini with toasted parmesan panko?" Louis finishes off, putting his menu down.

Niall and Yūki have their mouths hung open, looking at each other with wide eyes as the Brownies immediately get to work.

"He is definitely my favorite." Niall says.

"I'm guessing cinnamon bread wouldn't do his stomach justice." Yūki responds, still in awe.

As the food was placed in front of Louis, the boy didn't hesitate to dig in. Of course in the Lowlands, no body minded table manners, who would? All they cared about was survival.

"Man, what's this dessert called?" Louis asks.

"Um, Luna, that's a napkin." Niall answered back.

Louis looked at the papery object that he held close to his mouth, "A napkin? A little plain, isn't it?"

"You aren't supposed to eat it, Luna, you're supposed to wipe your mouth with it." Yūki explained.

"It does nothing your hand can't do." Louis pointed out, still inspecting the odd thing.

"Yes, but it is not proper to use your hands when you are enjoying a meal." Yūki cringed as Louis had a slice of lemon cake in his hand.

"You Highlander's sure are extra with your table etiquette, I'll tell you that." Louis shrugs, before leaving some of the neat, left overs of his meals on the table.

"Can you send some of this stuff to Sam? The kid would go crazy for anything that was actually seasoned." Louis laughed, his heart throbbing at the thought of his friend, keeping the hope and trust that the kingdom was protecting him and his family.

Niall shared an uneasy look with Yūki, before giving Louis a hesitant smile.

"Of course, Luna."

"Oh, and make sure that Sam is kept in a larger room, he hates small kept areas. They aren't good for his claustrophobia." Louis added, wanting to make sure his brother was well kept.

"I'll see what I can do, your majesty." Yūki spoke up, not trusting Niall's big mouth.

Louis smiled and nodded, feeling his knotted heartstrings loosen, less worried.

"We should be heading back to the Locus now. It's almost noon." Yūki states, his nervousness coming back.

But fate had another plan. Just as Louis was ready to huddle back up with Niall and transport back to the room he was familiar with, his gaze struck to the door of the kitchen. It was slightly ajar, but the gap was large enough for Louis to spot a flight of stairs that emerged upwards.

Louis walked slowly and found himself pushing the ajar door until it opened completely, revealing a unexplored stairway. On top of the stairs was a simple door. Shining white, but then back to an odd brown.

The door actually looked oddly similar. It didn't seem very sturdy at all, it was crooked and it's wood was chipped, making perfect shelters for bugs to call a home. From the corners were old spider webs, but it still had a charm to it. A home feeling. A familiar feeling.

"What's up there?" Louis asks suddenly, earning the attention of Yūki and Niall, who were arguing about what transportation spell was right to make your way back to the Locus.

Niall hurried to be by Louis' side once again, the chain collar not helping since Louis' request of it being left alone (and who was Niall to turn down the request of his Luna.)

"That's a forbidden floor. Only the king is allowed to go up there, my queen." Niall says, apologetically.

"Oh, really? And why is that?" Louis grows more interested and his mischievous side is out.

"We do not know, and we do not want to know. That floor is absolutely off limits. Don't even think about going up there." Yūki warns sternly.

If only Niall and Yūki knew that they weren't scaring Louis, they were only feeding his curiosity.

Louis shrugged and stepped out the door, making his way up the stairs.

"L-Luna! Luna! Come back here at once!" Yūki whisper-screams, not daring to go after the omega, fear devouring him.

"My queen, it's far too dangerous!" Niall says back.

"How would you know, you haven't ever been up here." Louis says back, continuing.

"Do not make me use my magic to get you back here, Luna!" Yūki threatened.

"You can't, you only have a beginners wand, which only allows you to perform a limit of two spells a day. And I'm afraid you've already used it up." Louis smiles, earning two gasps from the two Casters.

"You tricked us!" Yūki accused.

"Don't worry, I'll use my wand." Niall reassured, patting his suit, searching for his wand, panicking once he figured out he doesn't have his wand on him.

Louis leaned against the rails, smirking and twirling around a shaped  object, "You lot aren't very good at keeping things, are you? Found this one in Yūki's back pocket when we were flying. Two in one deal huh?"

"Oh I knew it! I knew it! These omega's are malevolent things, I told you!" Yūki says to Niall as the both erupt into relentless bickering and blaming.

A session of bickering, actually:

("Told you so!"

"Did not!"

"Now we're going to die!"

"This is all your fault. You let me loosen his collar!"

"How!? It was your decision!"

"I rather suck the mucus out of a centaur's nose until it's skull caves in than be your partner!"

"The feeling is mutual!"

"Now look what you did, the king will kill us!"

"That's what I have been saying since the beginning, you philistine!")

"I'd love to stick around, but I have a brother I need to rescue." Louis says before making his way up the stairs, ignoring the yells of Yūki and Niall.

Once Louis reached the top of the stairs, he put his hand on the doorknob, but a red, hit, burning sensation zapped his palm, causing him to immediately take it back and whine. The knob was obviously manipulated by some spell that resented the touch of anyone other than the king himself.

Luckily, Louis has visited the Enchanted Forest enough times to know the exact spells to maneuver out of trouble like this. Behind this door held something or someone valuable, and Louis was not ready to give up just yet. He will get home with Sam.

"Apertus!" Louis remembers the spell to open any door under any spell as though it was just yesterday. Stealing a spell book from a witch really did pay off.

As though on que, the door indeed did swing open immodestly, loudly like thunder, as a pungent smell of rotten bodies and rusty blood hit Louis' nose, scurrying away the perfume of fresh food immediately.

The hardwood floor underneath his feet creaked and screamed, as though it was protesting against the stress Louis was putting on it. With one last intake of breath, the omega bravely and boldly walked inside without a look back.

It would seem that the room would have been dark and gloomy, but it was quite the contrary. At once when Louis had entered, the door shut behind him and sealed, causing the torches that were lined up against the walls to flicker a spark and burn a crimson fire, giving everything an orange and red tint to it, but visibility as well.

Just as the light hit every angle of the room, Louis finally could take in the odd essence of it. Gargoyles, statued demons made of stone, were placed in every chipped corner, spiders crawling from their tops and sides.

There lied, broken, on the floor were very expensive sculptures of odd creatures that Louis couldn't even name. Some a woman with snake for hair, and some a human man with eight eyes. All of them were plastered, and had blood stains upon their ivory stone.

A tub was also against the side of a gargoyle. It seemed to be the source of the unbearable corpse smell. Flies and dripping water (mixed with unknown crimson liquid) swallowed up the whole exterior of it. To make it seem even more strange than it already was, the bathtub had a canopy of sheer drapes spread out gracefully above it.

Focusing back on the wall, there were hung, old paintings that had shattered glass frames scattered on the rough, carpeted floor. The torches reflected upon the shards, making them seem as thou they were diamonds all over. Louis came closer to the paintings in curiosity, his fingers holding up the folded over oil painting, straightening it up so the full image could be seen.

A portrait of a strange, old man was to be seen. His dark hair receding, and hooded brown eyes staggering. A crown with grand, oversized jewels covered the large bald spot, that was hard to miss, greatly. He had a large beard that was curly yet a straight and neat edge to it, letting out an intimidating spirit. Overall, the man seemed angry, yet at the same time, cold.

The painting had five deep claw marks.

Louis removed his fingers and continued on to read the bottom engraving that was on what was the left over frame:

DESMOND E. S.

Louis furrowed his eyebrows, a hint of familiarity hitting him, but not enough that made him recognize the name immediately. He went on, looking for something, anything, that led him to find what he was looking for: Sam.

He made his way to the other side of the room, which held only a single dresser, with a shattered mirror, as though someone smashed it with a single fist. The dresser itself was vacant, empty. Holding nothing like a comb, nor bottles of oil like a usual one would.

Just a plain black box, with an emerald on the top.

Before Louis could reach out for it, the shards of glass on the floor hit an angle of light where a sudden sharp blaze of red hit the right side of his eyes with immense power. Louis ignored the box and turned around to see what caused such a beam of luminosity.

It was a single red rose in a dome-like glass case.

In front of it was a window that spewed out an eerie light of deep oranges from the sunset that was taking place outside at this very moment. The light reflected on the case, but it did not go through it. The case stayed its own color. A transparent white.

The rose's petals were not all on the rose itself. Many of them, maybe even twenty, were in the bottom of the case, leaving a thin amount still holding onto the center, but one move could cause it all to fall. The flower oozed radiance, embodied magnificence.

The pigment was the strangest shade of red that Louis had ever seen. It seemed like it came right out of an oil painting, impossible to be actually real and staring right at him. No, it wasn't read like the top of a raging fire. Or red like the juice of a rich, ripe cherry. It was red like a jewel, a ruby. Only a God could have designed this. Only a god.

Louis' fingernail traced over the case, the enchantment seeping in. He could have looked at this for a millennium, no for eternity. It was surreal. It could only be an illusion.

"Enrapturing, isn't it?" A voice suddenly says, causing Louis to let out a gasp of surprise at the dominating tone it and how it echoed through the whole room.

The omega froze.

Harry.

Louis quickly removed his hand from the case and held it behind his back, his heart feeling swelled and heavy, as though it was injected by the venom of alarm and fear.

His blue eyes flickered to the voice's host, taking in the appearance of the king who he had last seen since the Simulation test. Eyes as red as the rose, a black ring causing them to burn a hole into Louis' heart, letting the disbelief drown through his whole body. His horns and claws seemed sharper than they were ever before.

The king stepped closer to his omega until he was directly behind, staring at the rose as well. His hands holding Louis' arms in place, ignoring them shaking of shock. His chin rested upon the omega's shoulder.

"Handling a rose is much like an omega's skin. It's a lot cooler than you'd expect, like a breath of autumnal air once the summer storm has just passed by." He whispers into Louis' ear, heated breath causing goosebumps to arise upon his body.

"The scent to this rose is sharper than you might think. I always imagined the scent to lay gently over your olfactories like a sheer blanket, but this one, it pierces and leaves a merciless distinct impression. Like a dagger." Harry continues, the sound of his deep inhale of Louis was all to be heard for a moment, his lips only an inch away from the Luna's tan skin.

Louis let out a surprised gasp when the feeling of soft lips do connect with a soft spot right below his ear, and as they trail down back to his unveiled collarbones. Teeth nipping at his vulnerable neck, but it was all back at once, before Harry continued on.

"Every time I think of roses, I think of the rose bushes in my mother's yard which never got enough light to bloom free. They were cranky and undernourished, but my mother them loved despite their surface infirmities." He spoke, soft and low, dangerous yet safe.

"Every summer and every bitter winter, she tended to the pitiful bushes and filled my childhood home with them, though I never really thought much of them at the time, but now, they intoxicate my mind every hour."

A warm hand is placed on Louis' inner thigh, the omega not noticing that he was no longer wearing the loose trousers he was once before. A sharp claw traced circles, not daring to move. But no noise came out of Louis. His inner omega dared to come out, and his guard to go down with even one word.

"How could she love something so flawed?" Harry finishes, his soft voice loosing itself into a hungry and frustrated trance.

Strong hands clutch Louis' waist, powerfully and easily turning him around without any sign of hardship, as though the omega was some sort of rag doll. Their eyes connected once again, but this time it was clear on how to label each one of their emotions than once before,

The red was lustful and hungry,

As the blue was yearning for escape.

Harry forcefully grabs Louis' head and pushes it closer to his own, taking one last look of his omega's eyes and seeing the hint of innocence and dignity that lied in them. Harry's inner alpha and mind only screaming a loud moremoremore.

"Fuck," Harry growls, dropping his hands from the Omega's head to bring his hands around the boys back, so they're close, and then he's kissing Louis desperately, mouth insistent, claiming the Omega, who physically pleads against him, finally protesting into his mouth.

Though the sound fades into utter oblivion and worthlessness as Harry's tongue meets his, tasting his omega's sweet mouth, stroking and savoring every last bit of pleasurable sparks that emerge, before going back to close his teeth over the swollen flesh of his own bottom lip, breathing jaggedly and unevenly. "Fuck," he groans again, low.

Louis raises a hand boldly, attempting to push the alpha off of his body, but the bold move was left discouraged and useless, like a fairy trying to slay a dragon. But the other hand held a wand, a wand that could pry the alpha off with ease. But it did not go unnoticed by the king who almost laughed at the pitiful attempt of his omega.

The wand was snatched by one hand of Louis' alpha, captures and snapped! like a twig, and thrown to the ground as though it had no great significance whatsoever. The Alpha then instantly faces him-and then his mouth-possessively, hungrily-attaches to Louis's. Once again, the sensation of pleasure drowns away his thoughts.

"No," Louis finally breathes out, feeling the groin of his alpha growing hard and thick through his trousers and rutting up against his omega's thigh for friction.

"No!" Louis gasps again, louder and more powerful, using the last of his willpower move his head the other direction, his lips losing the contact of Harry's immediately, swollen and devoured.

Harry's teeth, though, continued at his neck, and grazed over the mating mark area, ready to bite, but something may have struck inside of him as well, because he too lifted his head away from the scene. But his arms still held the omega in place as he whispered in his ear,

"You're mine."

Harry turned back and looked at the rose, watching as another petal fell quickly and fragile to the bottom, this time pruning up into a brown, burnt, piece of life.

This wasn't love, it was lust.

Then, in seconds, Harry let out a growl before using his free hand to grab Louis by the wrist, watching how the weak omega whimpered as he was forced to walk, and dragged him through the room and out the door at once. The omega almost collapses if it were not for the supportive hand that was also gripping his upper arm.

A harsh slam! was heard, signaling that the door behind them was shut, and the smell of corpses disappeared and transformed back into a sweet dough bread as Louis once knew before. But his back was slammed to a wall.

"You," Harry's voice slithered out, venomously and unforgiving, "you are no longer served as a royal around this castle."

"You may be a queen to all of Stellarum, but here, you act as a criminal, and you shall be treated as one." Harry's calloused hands ran through Louis' feathery hair, gripping onto it,

"An indentured servant. You will only accompany me and only me, no fool will guide you." Harry mentions the name of an indentured servant and Louis immediately thinks of a person under contract to work for another person for a definite period of time.

"Seek refuge in magic or deals with the devil, but you will always be with me in the end from here on out." Harry's eyes carry no longer the softness that they had once before. They were like black holes, sucking Louis in to an abyss of nothingness.

"Not even God can help those who get in my way."

And that is when Louis thought, he was no longer in control of his life.

But little did Louis know, is that this day marks the first time he will not only be holding his own life in his grasp,

but also Harry's.

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	18. Lily Flowers and Caged Cells

_**August, Summer** _   
_**Entry fifty four** _

_'My dearest Lillian,_

_The unforgiving winter storm has finally blown its last glass shards of ice, and the sun begins to rise once again; thawing the pond you adored, the one by the Hanging Tree._

_I do recall, the time you demanded we swim in that body of water. And how I encouraged us to return back in the castle. But alas, you always won our disputes, no matter how difficult I was, you surely knew you could outshine my stubbornness._

_As you took of your laced cloak, and I demanded you take my coat so you do not feel the residue of the bitter weather that had struck us that once before. But instead, I somehow became lost in your sky locked blues, joining your side involuntarily in the water._

_I cherish that day the most._

_The way the droplets of water lined up on your chest, the sun glistening down and causing them to shine like pure diamonds. The way your laugh made the water ripple, as though even it was laughing along with you. The way you looked at me, as though I wasn't flawed. Even though I am king, your loving stare makes me feel like I am a god._

_And I thought to myself that day, as you looked out on the horizon:_

_That maybe the sun wasn't the one who blew away the winter storm. It was you._

_I send this letter to you, my love. But they tell me you won't be receiving the parchment._

_They tell me you will not be awakening from your slumber either._

_They tell me that you had rope burns buried deep in your neck, and a note that claims you wish to longer see me again._

_They tell me you did this to yourself._

_It's been years since we carved our names on the Hanging Tree. It's been years since we whispered soft sweet nothings with the torch light on. We were tired lovers, with hearts that could never sleep. And we'd fall asleep to the wind of the cool air that blew by._

_You never gave up when trying to count all the stars._

_Who knew that now, the torch light thins, And the Hanging Tree's stump is only there, and that you'd have lines on your skin._

_And they threw your dust to the wind._

_I am sorry, for telling you who I really am._

_And I am sorry that you couldn't learn to love a beast.'_

  
\-----

"ATTEMPTING TO ABANDON Me is one of the most pathetic mistakes you could ever make, Omega," Harry growled in Louis' ear, capturing the boy's wrists and pinning them above his head, against the wall.

"I-" Louis tried to speak, failing when he made contact with crimson red eyes, which were goring deep into him, warningly and dangerously.

"You," Harry seethed, bitterly, "are no queen in my castle. You are a simple pawn to getting me what I need."

The rough thumps that dug into the frail, pale skin of Louis were going to leave violet bruises, no doubt about it. The way they were pressing down so violently, powerfully, not even allowing the omega to move.

"A pa-pawn," Louis groaned out, pain overbearing his body, but the omega was not going to allow this force to block out his unanswered questions, "a pawn that must marry the king?"

Harry chuckles maliciously, darkly. His lips curl into a devious smirk, before saying, "You are my property, little dove. The word 'must' is now the way you will live around me."

"I won't mate you, I don't love you." Louis boldly stated, his eyebrows straight and eyes sharp, daring Harry.

Daring.

Harry took his large hands off of the omega's wrists, before placing them tightly around Louis' waist and flipping the boy on his stomach against the wall, back pressed to Harry, and the king's groin against him.

"I won't marry you." Louis repeated, helplessly and desperate. Not realizing how his fight for independence was not in his favor. "I'd rather die than love you."

Many did.

"You are not going to love me, you are not even going to touch me, Omega." Harry snarled vengefully, sharp nail trailing again at the bond spot alphas mark their omegas. Frustration scurried like poison through his veins.

"I will, however, make sure my mark is littered on your neck, showing everyone who you belong to. Who you are loyal to."

Louis' ferocity shone like two sparkling stars in the bluest night sky, a burning passion that any person would find breathtaking. A creature as petite and fragile as he had so much emotion, each deep and interlocked. "I will not mate you, that wasn't part of the deal-"

Harry had ceased Louis by his elbow and shoved him heartlessly against the wall, getting in the boy's personal space with as much threat to his nature as possible. He feels the bruises form under his fingertips and licks his lips, a bright red streak getting painted across the seam from his bleeding gums.

"Our deal was simple, little dove. Your life in exchange for your people's. If I wish to fuck you," Harry seethes, pulling the omega closer to him and causing the boy to let out a surprised sound.

The Alpha breathes on the scent of his future mate, savoring the sweet smell, his arms snaking around Louis's waist, bringing him close. So close. Need rushes through Harry as his breathing roughens in Louis' ear.

The king thickens around the omega, the tent in his trousers becoming larger with every inhale, "if I wish to make you scream, if I wish to make you cry with pleasure, if I wish to make you the queen of my bed, I am permitted to."

And Harry's voice is a thousand octaves too deep, mouth brushing the curve of his ear. His eyes were haunting, too dark to even recognize the ring of red. Louis' head was screaming in fear as a large hand made its way near his trousers, kneading his bum roughly, slick producing uncontrollably, but unknowingly out of offense.

Louis feels his ears burn, and tries his hardest to ignore the member against his thigh, throbbing and rutting. The thick length twitches, and Louis squeezes his eyes shut as Harry continues, "You are a pawn. A pawn which is mine to keep. Nothing more, nothing less."

The omega fights the sound that dares crawl out of his throat, before saying altogether in a very disgruntled manner. Louis swallowed around the poisonous lump in his throat and felt his throat turn cold from the air he breathed. "You really wouldn't force me to-"

"Believe me when I say I won't lay a hand on you." Harry releases Louis at once, but not before warning him to be cautious with a dangerous glare. Stone cold eyes travelled down the omega, before he says,

"Alas, not yet. When I mate you, you will give me your approbation." The king promised, his inner alpha inaudible.

As being released, Louis dropped to his knees, breathlessly, weak. His anger too damaged to fight any longer. But a spark arose in his eyes without any solicitous in sight, and a sarcastic spit arose, "I'm sure I will."

The expression that came over Harry's eyes, was not easy to figure out. The coal he calls eyes harden to a rich onyx, unbelievably dark and bleeding rage and pain. He clenched his fists so tight, violet veins could be seen embossed above the thick skin of his arms. "None of my lovers have spoken to me as you are and have survived."

"I am not who you all think I am. I am not your destined mate, I do not belong to this title!" Louis pleaded.

The omega doesn't even notice the changing of his surroundings, as he was no longer in the same wall against the deathly door he should have never entered. No, this was not the forbidden floor, it was somewhere different, darker.

A metal cell was in place behind the omega.

As Louis was raised to his feet by the strong hands from the alpha king above him, the bars of the cell were pushed aside, and the omega was quickly pushed inside. It was no longer the Locus he was familiar with before.

The bars were then locked again, leaving Louis to shake the bars and look above at Harry with a livid expression, "You can't just leave me in here!"

Giving the omega a wicked smirk, Harry's eyes almost seemed alive. Something pure. They flashed a color of green before returning to an onyx, and reminded Louis of a real being.

Louis hears heels click against stoned floors, before the king crouches down to level to the omega behind the bars,

"It is a simple edict, omega, you act like a criminal in my home, you will be treated as one."

Louis furrowed his eyebrows in disbelief and anger, before pushing his face as close as he could, with the bars as an obvious barrier, and says with boldness and bravery,

"Clutch me as you please, Alpha, but you are no king to me."

But a simple click of the heels from boots that trailed off, let Louis know that the king was gone. And the omega was left in here alone. Not knowing what the future holds next.

The tingling feeling of Harry's nail still lives on upon his sealed bond mark. And that was the first warning.

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	19. Melancholy Elves and Choices

"FILTH! SCUM! CREATURE Forms of dirt and grime! Inconsiderate and ungrateful bags of flesh, undeserving. How dare they even breathe the same air as Master's..."

That was the first thing Louis heard once the door of the room where he was savagely held was slammed open.

Louis did not even realize his obvious dozing off until his body shot up once the sound of a door opening was to be heard. There was no figure that showed up immediately to sight, only a lonesome shadow that lurked and casted its darkness upon the rough walls.

The voice of the anonymous host, though, was very clear. Screechy and venomous, sounding of pure hatred and bigotry. A vibration after ever sentence was spat at the omega was also audible.

"Abomination! Master would never be pleased! How dare an omega come into Master's castle!" It howled in displeasure, continuing its ranting and moping.

Louis furrowed his eye brows in confusion mixed with offense before allowing his voice to be heard.

"Hello?" Louis wanted called out, his hands still glued onto the cage bars that blocked his eyes from reaching out to the face of the voice, "who's there?"

But his voice didn't come out as clearly.

Instead, Louis grew into a coughing fit, his dry throat scratchy from the lack of water he had been drinking. His mind pounded and stomach made screams of protests to add onto it, clarifying Louis' mind that he had been caged for a while.

Harry never did come back when leaving Louis in the cage.

Has it been hours? Days? Once the king had left the room, the thought of returning didn't even cross Louis' mind till now, only the thought of severe punishment.

It was degrading, how Louis felt touched and the unwanted feeling of lust from the alpha still lingered beneath his skin, not having enough room to lurk away because of the compacted space surrounding him.

The though of Harry leaving Louis to rot like this also shot through the omega's mind, knowing the king would not hesitate in doing so.

"An omega, a disgusting omega in my master's castle..." the voice moaned in obvious agony.

"Oh shut it, Mingus. What have you been doing besides sweeping a dirty rag on the floor?" A familiar voice said then, causing Louis to perk up and his heart become still with hope.

Louis grabbed the bars with a tighter grip, and tried his best to squeeze his face in between the tight spaces to allow himself to be heard. Louis' says

"Killian!" Louis breathed out, a little shaky but finally audible. The bars barely gave the omega's voice enough room to spew through, but it seemed to do the job once Killian gave a grunt of acknowledgement.

"Louis," Killian groaned, almost growled lowly, in displeasure before crouching down to the cage Louis was placed in until their faces met. "Do not even get me started on the trouble you have started for yourself."

Before Louis could reply, the features of the shapeshifter seemed as though the kindness was drained out of them, eyes sharp and warning the omega.

Killian grazed the bars of the cage, his finger seemingly examining the tough metal, before his whole hand wrapped around a single bar and gripped it tight.

"Recludo!" Killian bellowed the spell, causing the cell to pry open without any sign of difficulty.

Louis breathed out a relived sigh, and crawled out of the small space immediately and straight onto the open ground in front of him. The omega did not know where he was, but it was definitely different from the locus.

For this was not nearly as luxurious, only a grey concrete flat with sloppy cut out windows that illuminated very little light into the space.

Louis' legs felt weak, and head to heavy with thoughts and forlorn day dreams of his fate and what lies in the future. He fell onto his back almost immediately, unable to even think of walking.

". . . Smells like a drain and a criminal to boot, nasty old omega, impure scent, oh my poor Master, if he knew... if he knew what filthy creature lurks in the castle walls..." The same screechy voice said from before, this time louder and very much near Louis.

The boy almost squealed at the host of the voice, as it was roaming around like a naked slug around the floor in melancholy circles, crying and moping.

An elf!

Except for the raggedy towel tied like a loincloth around its lower body, it was completely nude. There was no doubt that the elf, whom Killian said was named Mingus, was antiquated from the bottom to the top.

Its skin seemed to be like an over sized coat seamed from pure leather, and it broke the stereotype of bald elves with a quantity of brittle, ebony hair growing out of its large, elephant-like ears. His eyes were rather heavy looking, as though the sockets that held them were to give up any moment, and nose dripping of snot.

The elf took absolutely no notice of Louis and Killian. Acting as though it could not see them, it shuffled hunchbacked, slowly and doggedly, toward the far end of the room, muttering under its breath all the while in a hoarse, deep voice like a bullfrog's,

"Master Harry has mated a mutt! A mutt as a Luna! Oh dear, my poor Master, my poor, poor Master." Mingus moaned in disgust, not even wanting to let alone take a single glance at Louis.

Louis looked up at Killian, trying to explain himself but was silenced when he was shot an immediate look by the shapeshifter that shouted, "I'll deal with you in a moment."

"Mingus, what are you doing in Master's private cellam?" Killian turns to the elf, looking down at it in frustration and a tiresome eye roll to go along with it.

"Mingus is cleaning," the elf replied said evasively.

"An unlikely story," Killian replies, before walking nearer to the elf and glowering down at the elf.

At the sight of Killian looking so intimidating, Mingus lowered his face down to the ground at once, which wasn't clear whether it was out of shame or sarcasm.

"Stand up straight," said Killian impatiently. "Now, what are you up to?"

"Mingus is cleaning," the elf repeated. "Mingus lives to serve Master Harry and his castle -"

"- Well Mingus isn't doing such a good job at, now is he? The place is filthier than it was before you came here," commented Killian, making Louis clench his fist at the way the shapeshifter was demeaning the free creature.

"Master will be angry when he knows a Lowlander is in his castle," said Mingus, snarling again but not looking at Louis for a second, and continuing in an rough undertone, "Killian is a nasty ungrateful swine who is breaking Master's trust -"

"Your Master will hear about your laziness and disrespect to the Luna," Sirius snapped. "Do not keep yourself alive out of pure spite, your liveliness here will end soon."

Mingus let out a snarl again and said, "Whatever Killian says," then muttered furiously, "The Luna is not fit to wipe dragon droppings from Master's boots, oh my poor Master... forced to mate a mutt for hope..."

"One more word out of you and your head will be beneath my boot. Leave, Mingus." Killian threatened, and Louis was sure by his tone he was not joking, and Mingus thought that as well. But it didn't stop him.

For the first time, Mingus looked at Louis with a scowl and his snout-like nose was scrunched up in an awkward position, as though it was injected with a syringe filled with anger and hatred.

"Master deserves purity! Mingus will not allow a disobeying mutt to be Luna!" The elf bellowed.

Louis looked at him with pity, knowing that it wasn't his fault that he was filled with all this brainwashed jumbo the Highlander's fed off of. Elves weren't made to overwork-or work at all- the way these elves were at the castle.

Before Killian could reach out for the creature maliciously, Louis quickly stopped him by saying a weak 'stop!', halting any sort of act to take place.

"Mingus, please leave." Louis speaks, slow so he doesn't erupt in a coughing fit.

"Mingus doesn't take orders from Lowlanders." Mingus sneered, causing Killian's hand to flinch, but the shapeshifter tookmit back before it could do any harm to the elf.

"Then it's a good thing you are speaking to a Luna," Louis says, his tone stricter, causing Killian to smirk, "do not make me ask you again, leave or this will go straight to the King."

It did seem that Mingus did not dare to disobey a direct order that seethed out in pure venom; With one final scowl aimed at Louis, Mingus shuffled out past him with the scent of anger and hatred, and the elf muttered all the way out of the room.

"Thinks he's a Luna... no mating mark... poor master..."

"Keep muttering and I will not hesitate to turn you into a beetle!" said Killian, showing his obvious irritation, before he slammed the door shut on the elf.

"Killian, he's not right in the head," said Louis pleadingly, "I don't think he realizes we can hear him."

"What he needs is a reminder," Killian murdered angrily, "he's been going mad, thinking he can just-"

"If you just set him free," said Louis hopefully yet desperately, "maybe -"

"I am not here to discuss elves with you, Louis, and I know very much that you realize that as well." Killian said through gritted teeth, causing the omega on the ground to sit up straighter and push his palms against the concrete apprehensively.

"I-" Louis tried to speak, already knowing at once where this conversation was leading to: Harry.

"No, you do not get to speak," Killian raised a hand and clenched his fist, snatching Louis' ability to let his voice out, leaving him mute and weak.

Killian went on his knees to level his face with Louis', before getting close to the omega so he could capture every word.

"You are an idiot, Louis, you have no idea what you are risking every time you run that mouth of yours." Killian scolds, his voice sounding as though he was genuinely concerned.

Louis, trying his best to fight against the charm put upon him, opened his mouth in a hurry to argue at once, but the dryness of his throat itched at him like a rash in his throat, causing knkyma hoarse cough to fall instead of words.

A sigh then was to be heard emerging from the shapeshifter along with an aggressive, "Drink."

A cold tin cup was placed on the omega's lips, carried by Killian, tilting so the sensation of streaming water could run down the Luna's throat. Since the boy had not ate for who knows how long, the water felt heavy in his stomach, but as refreshing and tasted better than any rich milk a castle could offer.

Killian then threw his right hand in the air and made the same fist as before, but this time unclenched it, giving Louis his ability to speak back at once.

Louis felt his body even, before Killian then hushes his voice,

"If you want my opinion on how to live-"

"I don't." Louis snaps back immediately, his voice now full of life after the drink.

Killian gave a low and sarcastic chuckle, "You see, this spunk of yours will not get you far here, princess." There was a silence before he said, "In fact, it will make you wish you were dead."

"That mission is already accomplished," Louis says through gritted teeth as the shifter gets closer, only inches separating their noses. The omega lied under him, his arms used as pillar to keep his back from hitting the floor.

"That's where you are wrong, Luna," Killian seethed, "the game has not even begun." Louis' breath hitched, causing him to go speechless, and Killian took that as a moment to continue.

"Attempting to escape is not just putting your life on the line, I am aware you have a family, sisters." Killian acknowledges, causing Louis to take a gulp before ferociously bellowing,

"Don't touch them, any of them! They didn't do anything wrong!"

Before Louis knew it, Killian had the boy against the vacant cell bars he used to be in, almost whispering a, "I'm going to teach you how to stay alive, alright, princess?"

Killian lets out an exhale, "It is not just your fate that lies in your hands now, princess. It's all of theirs. Including Samuel Berning Ortan. Any slip from you could be the finish of a life on their end,"

Louis' heart sank at his selfishness, just allowing the voice of Killian to seep into him instead of making a witty argumentative response.

"This is not your life now, I am sorry to break it to you. It's your friend's, family's, and all of those whom you care for. Whatever affects you affects them now. And manipulating two Casters, stealing one of their wands, and abandoning Harry is not the way to safety."

"Quit victimizing your King," Louis finally snaps, "I have been nothing but violated since I have entered this castle. And now I am told to mate with the Alpha who did so? You Highlander's are sick."

"This is no longer about you, Omega," Killian spits, "the first step to bringing your loved ones into a safe area is to submit to your Alpha. Consent it or not, you are now not only Harry's, but Stellarum's Luna. The only one who has the power to harm you is yourself."

"Submit? I don't love him!" Louis cries with a striking voice that is bold and not hesitant.

Killian chuckles darkly once again, "Love, princess? If all matings of omegas and alphas occurred out of love, do you believe we would be in the situation we are in right now? There is no love. Only submissiveness."

"Your King is undeserving of any sort of submissiveness. None of you brutes are." Louis shot.

"Harry is not as ruthless as he appears, if it wasn't for these walls you built up in your head, you would be more open-"

"Open to what? More of the romanticized rape culture that this land has been thriving upon? I am not the omega you all think I am! I am not some savior, or chosen one to love -or submit - to your king." Louis pleaded, wounding as though he was convincing himself more than Killian.

"You're pathetic. Unable to understand how you have more power than God himself right now," Killian seethes, "you have the ability to control your fate and you're letting the opportunity flash by like lightening."

"Harry may have promised protection to your loved ones, but only if you followed his orders in return. Who knows how many loves you have already endangered by these schemes you have pulled. It is either your life for everyone else's, or their lives for your mistakes. The choice is yours."

Louis then looked at it from his sister's eyes.

Youth stolen, childhood raided and stolen from strangers that feed off of their despair. His mother struggling to feed them already, and they were left as bags of flesh to rot in a deserted area.

Or they could thrive if he did.

And Sam, who had his whole life ahead of him. And this wasn't fair to him at all, he was dragged into this by Louis' selfish and childish needs. He could still go back to the Lowlands and live.

All if Louis wanted them too.

Louis had the power.

"Why? Why me? Why didn't you all kill me at the night of my trial?" Louis questioned weakly.

"Princess," Killian sighs, "you have no idea how powerful you are. And I don't think you will ever know."

But then, the voice of Harry went through his head, the vicious and animalistic voice that was hungry for any form of virtue that could be provided.

"If I wish to make you scream, if I wish to make you cry with pleasure, if I wish to make you the queen of my bed, I am permitted to." It repeated.

Louis shudders in horror but it all sinks in now.

The full impact of what Killian was saying hits Louis like a bolt of lightening. And the omega finally nods. Killian means there's only one future, if Louis wants to keep those he loves alive and stay alive himself, he'll have to mate with Harry.

-

"King Harry, the Luna is here to see you."

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	20. Memories and Devil Deals

LOUIS HAD TWO CHOICES, HE Realized. He could end this all now, all at once. All he had to do was ask for it. He could easily continue his stubborn act, denying any form of aid from the castle and push Harry away. Deny to be his omega, deny to be his servant. Deny to submit.

Most would label him brave for this decision. But Louis knew that was the coward choice. What makes that decision cowardly, many would ask. Because, Killian was right. This isn't Louis' life anymore.

Whatever he does now, will not just affect him. It will affect everyone around him. He will no longer be the only one to feel defeat, but so will his sisters, Sam, his mother, and all of his village.

Louis could feel metaphorical slits cut into the sides of his apprehensiveness, He could close his eyes desperately, hoping that all of this wasn't real. And deny the obvious decision he must make right this moment.

Louis' heart felt hollow, and it screamed for him to return back to the Lowlands. But what was left for Louis at the Lowlands? And what was left for Sam? Would Louis rather they stay here, close to death, abused, feeling every last drop of pain that this decision brought them? Or would he rather go back to feeling the feeling he despised the most: numbness.

There will be no love, no hope, no justice, no feelings, nothing that makes life a wonderful adventure. Louis would be a robotic omega, working and serving his life to survive through the harmful clutches of the alpha's reign as a service rather than how he pleased.

Yes, Louis would rather stay where he is than go back to a life like that.

Louis has seen suffering. He has seen people die from disease because of lack of medicine, or clean water. He has seen suicide attempts. He has seen little omega's be sold to alphas so their family could get extra bread.

"You're pathetic. Unable to understand how you have more power than God himself right now," Killian had said to him before, "you have the ability to control your fate and you're letting the opportunity flash by like lightening."

Louis was now the ruler of his own destiny if he chose to mate with Harry. He could be the change he dreamt of.

Louis then feels a pang of guilt go through his ears. He wished he could go to Sam. Hug his best friend and tell him they were safe from the horrors they had left behind. But he couldn't. All he could do right now is show Sam it will be alright.

By making the right choice.

The apprehension inside of Louis trailed out behind him, and the loud wails of doubt were only died out echos. His heart gave out a final growl and his body a shiver of fear. There was no longer the feeling of nothingness filling his fingertips to his toes, only a deep warmth.

It all felt warm.

Even though Louis felt used and discarded, the frigidness of doubt didn't dare to seep into him. Louis was thawed out. It was like the sun had just kissed his lips and allowed the familiar memory of bravery to plant a seed in his stomach, letting the plant of heat grow throughout. Bravery provided immense energy inside of him.

His mother's voice rung through his head, her quiet talks she had with Louis as he lied down on her lap on the coldest of nights; the bitter cold weather not taking any pity upon him. And when they barley had enough blankets to cover themselves with, his mother's love was warmer than a thousand suns.

It was a quick memory that drifted through Louis' mind, it was a kind whisper, no doubt about it. It sounded like a wisp of kind, summer wind, refreshing and awakening. It was cool and slithered but had a ring of gentleness.

"Louis," she would say, running her fingers through his hair, "the world is filled with different creatures. Some that are good, and some that are good who have been through bad times. But you will love each and every one of them."

"But what if the good ones who have been through bad times are mean? Like ogres! What if they want to eat me, I can't just be nice to them to get out of it." Louis' younger self argued.

"Being just as angry as ogres won't get you out of it either. Before anger comes fear. And once you start fearing, it will cling onto your heart. And fear is a nasty thing. Like tar, it won't come off easily. And in all states of fear, comes states of evil as a mask to hide it. Promise me you won't ever fear cling onto you, and that you'll always be brave no matter what this cruel world throws at you."

"I promise, mum."

And that's when Louis looked at Killian with bold eyes and said,

"Take me to the King."

-

IT WAS AN PECULIAR MIRROR, The one that was clutched inside of of Harry's fist as he was sitting on his throne and gripped the silver handle engraved with deep vine shapes; an embossed leaf hanging down from each and every one of them. All leading up to the looking glass, reflecting any form of illumination hitting upon it.

The metals of silver and gold making the piece up wound chipped up the sides and curled gently around the corners, encasing the glass in a watertight grip like a cobra squeezing its kill; almost as though the surrounding frame was swallowing the glass itself. But there had never been a cobra the color of the golden sun, so beautiful and hypnotizing that one barely noticed its purpose in the first place.

Alas, this wasn't the type of mirror which reflects oneself, it was, like most possessions in the castle, magical.

Only showing what one desires the most.

And at the moment, the mirror in Harry's hand showed the rose in its glass case.

And there the rose stood. It's charming vermillion color shining just as vibrant and luminous in its place, even through the looking glass. The stem trailing down as though for miles, embellished with thorns that threatened to prick any flesh that dare go by. Beautiful, deadly.

Very much to the king's displeasure, the rose's ever falling petals were just a constant reminder. A reminder of impossibility.

As the crimson petal disconnects from the compacted majority, it falls down in a crumpled brown, ruffling itself up into an oblivious and pitiful nothingness, reminding Harry that each fallen petal is a fallen chance to break the state he was in.

Animalistic, demonic, ruthless, monstrous.

"You're foolish, thinking an omega from a prophecy can change you. It's all foolish. Lillian couldn't complete the task, what makes you think the boy can?"

The familiar hisses and seething wisps through his head, forcing a growl to emerge from beneath the alpha king, as he is forced to have the memory of a lifeless body in his hands.

Memories are diverse. Some that make you feel nostalgic, home. And some you don't ever want to recall. Some that are brutal additions to the gruesome scene of your despondency being.

And in Harry's case, all he felt was the glacial hostile arms of the bygones.

Constantly gnawing at him, picking him apart, piece by piece.

"My king," Harry's sanguine eyes flickered up in front of him, only to see a guard with an trepidatious gaze, bowing.

"What brings you here?" Harry

"King Harry, the Luna is here see you." The guard finishes, an eerie tone lingering in his voice.

A simple malicious smirk then was pasted on Harry's lips, before he said an involuntary,

"Bring him in."

Harry smelled him before he saw him.

It was a sweet honey that first made its way up to Harry's senses. A tantalizing sweetness, soft as silk but just as affective as a mighty forest fire. The purity and cleanliness to it almost made the alpha growl, and the familiar voice of mineminemine played over him head in repeat.

Step by step, Harry watched him.

Savoring every tap his thin slippers made as the heels hit the tiled ground, and every strand of hair that drifted in the gentle whiff of air Louis graced. He was wearing but a simple white night robe, the cuffs laced around his knees and showing the delicious tanned skin the omega had been hiding for so long.

Mine.

His eyes looked tired, and were tinged with different shades of violets and pinks rimmed around the waterlines. Every bit of Louis was art, every bit of Louis was Harry's.

Behind his omega was Killian, placing a hand on Louis' back, like a crutch to support a wounded warrior on the battlefield. Harry saw red, unable to handle the fact that anyone else was touching his Louis beside him. For if it wasn't Killian, his companion, supporting his omega, Harry knew that anyone else who dared would have had a snapped neck.

The soft cerulean was not meeting Harry's cold gaze, as though if he did he would turn to stone. No, it stayed glued to the tiles, head down and indifferent.

But at that moment, Harry could only think of a thousand ways to lose the omega in front of him now.

Then, suddenly, Louis fell to his knees.

Purposely, no doubt about that. His head still hung and white robe now spread wide on both sides like angel wings ready to take off into the morning sun. And then, for the first time, Louis lifted his head and made direct eye contact with Harry before saying,

"I submit to you, Alpha."

This wasn't all. Harry knew this wasn't all the omega was going to give him, so easily he couldn't slip into Harry's influence, Louis didn't work like that, there was something about him . . . Something Louis embodied that radiated the waves of unpredictability.

And with that, Harry set the mirror down on the handlebar of his throne and said,

"Killian, you are dismissed."

The shapeshifter looks down at Louis in concern, not knowing what holds for the omega ahead. Hesitant and worrisome.

"I-" the shapeshifter tries to argue but Louis looks back at him with a reassuring smile and shakes his head.

"Killian, go. I'll be fine." Louis says.

Killian looks down at Louis and kneels to meet his eyes before saying genuinely, "Remember what I told you."

Louis nods and with satisfaction, Killian turns his heel and walks out of the throne room, the towering doors closing behind him at once.

Louis flinches at the harsh sound, but his knees keep contact with the floor, and eyes continue to boar holes into Harry's.

"Tell me," Was the first thing Harry said, his claws taping on the looking glass. His voice rung through the empty room, echoing and bouncing off from wall to wall and hitting Louis' ears like a cannon launching to its target, "How does it feel to be held for treason, to be a prisoner under my hold?"

Louis was sure he was referring to the isolation he had faced for attempting to run away from the castle, so he gulped his pride before replying back a simple, "It felt tyrannizing, alpha."

Slightly satisfied with Louis' answer, the alpha seethed back a,"So you agree, omega, that being a Luna is much more luxurious than being a malefactor. That being an ally to me is much more rewarding than being a criminal?"

Louis then feels himself clenching a fist, his mind rotating agaisnt one thought and one goal, "I still refuse to be Luna, or your mate under your conditions."

The omega closed his eyes, expecting the alpha to lash out or domhis absolute worst, but nothing came. It was like a firework shot into the sky without an explosion. Only a simple chuckle.

A sinister chuckle, dark and threatening.

Because this is exactly what the king expected from someone like Louis. Those daring eyes carried more than omega submission. He wasn't easy, and the courage he carried was more powerful than the odds above him.

"Then enlighten me, Omega, under who's conditions are you willing?" Harry mused, noticing how Louis then stood up to his feet, knowing that he was exposed for his little show.

Instead of standing there, feet away from the alpha king bestowed in front of him, Louis stepped forward, enriching his omega scent and embodying magnificence with each stride. No fear, no anger. He was unreadable.

Confidence is Louis' shadow, and wisps of bravery is his conscious. With each step forward Harry can feel the venom inside of him loosen its suffocating hold on his heart, and the prior aches of his head due to everlasting recalling evaporate away.

Until Louis was just inches away from both of their bodies closing together and fitting like a puzzle, he looks up and demands both of their stone cold gazes to hit, like two atoms combining.

"Under my conditions." Louis almost demanded, amusing the alpha.

There was a long silence when it was Louis this time who hesitantly rose a hand. He didn't dare to break eye contact with Harry, he took in every drop of contact as much as he could. There lied something in Harry's eyes, something beneath the red ashes was a whole other story, a whole other creature.

Louis reached out and Harry caught his thin wrist, preventing him from getting any closer, not in rejection, but in confusion. Louis payed no attention to the obvious soft growls Harry gave out, but even the omega's gaze showed how nervous he truly was. His wrist stayed captive under Harry's harsh grip, but Louis' thin fingertips managed to successfully push a strand of stray hair away from Harry's rugged face.

The alpha does absolutely nothing to stop it. He only looks at the strange creature in front of him, wondering how he wasn't even appalled by the deep scars that dug inside his skin. Or the fact that his blood thirsty teeth could chop off a limb right this moment.

Louis, in the other hand, was close to panting. Harry's face was now only inches from his, his cold expression and eyes unreadable, remaining mysterious. Louis was almost on the king's lap, watching the crown lean towards the tip of his head, the omega pushing it back and setting it for his alpha.

And Harry could have taken Louis right there. He could have pinned the omega to the ground, and made him scream, moan and have to beg like a doxy for more. Harry wanted Louis' body to quiver and shake with pleasure, his hole closing around his alpha.

Harry wanted to bite and mark every area of tan skin until it tinged a brilliant violet. Until his omega's scent is masked by the facade of Harry's. He wanted to devour the omega right there, taking in every breath, and consuming every move.

Once Harry tries to reach out for the omega, Louis is pulling away immediately. The Alpha wants to growl and demand that Louis comes back to his king, but where was the self regard for whining.

"You didn't acknowledge me for days." Louis whispers. "So you don't get to touch me now."

This time Harry does growl and grit his teeth. How did this omega have such a hold on him? And where did the ferocity come from within him? Harry wants more of it, he wants all of it. Mine.

The sweet scent hits Harry again, this time the perfume consumes the king as a whole, completely throwing his thoughts off course and all his mind could think of was how he wants to have this Omega's sweet honey taste from between his legs and cries of pleasure from heat. He wants this blue eyed Omega submitting not as a Luna to him, but submitting in bed on his Alpha knot and carrying his pups. And maybe even more if the omega. . .

"What are your conditions?" Harry says at once, his voice octaves deeper, and mind just revolving around the boy in front of him.

Louis' heart lightens and it feels like a heavy height of the sky had just been lifted from his shoulders, exhaling and letting out the fresh smell of fruit he had eaten before out, the omega says,

"I want my village and Sam to be safe from any kind of danger. They must be supplied with food and the basic necessities." Louis says in one breath, almost in a pleading tone.

"And if I do what you request?" Harry drags on, just to hear the omega speak once again.

"I'll never run, I'll never try to escape. Just help them, and I'll be yours." Louis promises, breathing out in hope and waiting for the alpha to speak after him.

It was easy to deny the omega. Lock him up and force him to stay out of malevolence and chaos. But once Louis looked at him, all Harry could see in those cerulean eyes was the fallen petals of the rose. The fallen petal of crushed hope. But his eyes were hope, a profound maybe. . .

"Very well." Was all Harry could say before feeling Louis' body go numb for a split second and lively once again.

The omega lifted his body and retracted his hands, Harry ignored his inner alpha immediately biting and grumbling at the missing contact. The warmth he provided Harry was almost questionable, and almost terrifying.

"Thank you," Louis said genuinely, and Harry saw his hand flinch, as though it was yearning to hold his. But it was all chaotic, a mess.

Frigidness took over Harry once again before he heard the seething voice inside his head say once again, "You own him."

But what the king didn't see was that the looking glass itself, which once depicted the thing that harry desired the most as the rose in its glass, was now shifting. . .

To Louis himself.

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	21. Visitors and Blue Paint

SAM FELT AN ICY STRIKE Of wind sweep over him, and capturing his lips into a familiar feeling of its unforgiving winter-like kiss seep into him involuntarily. The coldness seemed to be a figure, a shadow almost. . .

It had no face, the cold shadow. It was just a lively terrorized nothingness draped in a black robe, inside its hood dug a dark abyss; pulling you in closer and closer by every glance you take.

How long has Sam been like this, against an unknown surface with the shadow hovering over him? He doesn't know. It felt like centuries, millenniums even. But he didn't argue. Sam didn't question. He felt not the need to, he felt not the need to do anything anymore . . .

Wisps of gold and sparks of silver streaks were the only things that stood out in the utter darkness, being extracted from Sam's own body and into the shadow, glowing like stars for a moment, and then disappearing like it was sucked into a black hole. As though the shadow held a universe within it.

The alpha could feel his fingertips numbing, and his own breath coming in shorter, quicker, in spastic bursts. The only noise left pounding in his ears was his heart threatening to thunder through his ribs. Slow and steady, yet ready to pounce.

The room was dark, an inky black that fought any form of light that dared to reflect luminously upon its glossy interior.

Sam let out a low whine when the cold hovered over him closer than before. He felt his own breath catch in his chest. The heavy frigidness soaked deep inside his skin, slipping through every pore and tensing his every muscle. It was inside his chest, it was inside his very heart. Feeding off what was left of his being, feeding off of the spark of love, hope, and will inside. Devouring all it whole.

Sam's eyes rolled up, his voice unable to escape his mouth in protest or pain, he was just a shell. A puppet. Sam couldn't see. He was drowning in cold. Submerged in the utter displeasure of numbness and confusion.

But then it all stopped.

He no longer felt the icy breath of the shadow hover over him, his body savored the little facade of warmth that was immediately provided once the winter storm above him was lifted.

But that moment didn't last very long once Sam felt the same weight of cold tug at his right hand, causing his head to roll weakly to the side, as though he was asking a frustrated, "What?"

The shadow, who appeared as the grim reaper itself, was nipping its airy sleeve at the boy's hand, as though it wanted him to follow it once again. Apprehensiveness, which used to be just a small piece of Sam, was now clawing at him inside, roaring at the growing anxiety to flourish. But it seemed that the boy no longer had the control to do what he must, since the roaring of hesitancy was no match for Sam's vulnerability.

The boy gave a small nod, and that was all the shadow needed to grasp the dainty wrist of the alpha and fly up once again, as they once did previously.

And if you asked if Sam minded the way he was forcefully swiped off of the floor like discarded rinds of fruit, and rushing towards the space above, it would be no. He didn't know how to feel anymore.

There was sudden rush that filled Sam's ears. It sounded, at first, like nails on chalkboard, screechy and ready to shove daggers in your eardrums. A nasty overflowing sound, a sound that brought goosebumps about to anyone near.

But then Sam realized it was a woman. And it all became clear to him what that noise was actually. He heard screaming, shouting, terrorized sobs, pleading wails. Sam wanted to help whoever it was, come to aid. He tried to move his arms, but couldn't, the sympathy within him was shut down quickly by a depressing protest, apathy thick and empathy low.

He was unable to feel anything beneficial.

Only sadness. . .

The sound vibrated and bounced off of every wall of the space, like the shadow was bringing him straight into a strange audio box with the sounds playing on repeat. But that suspicious thought died down at once when a brilliant white light came onto display, fighting the black room.

The light that came from above was like no other. With it was not only luminosity, but great thermal energy. It caused Sam to squint, his hands limp, attempting to shield his eyes from its bright power.

There was also the ringing.

The ringing of the light mixed with the screaming of the woman, causing only a high sob from Sam to also join in the symphony.

"NO MORE, NO MORE!" Sam wailed, finally getting a sound out of him of pure confusion and frustration.

but once the white light came to a dim, there the screaming was only a sob. And then Sam saw it. He saw them.

There was a woman, her eyes a violet and cheeks a flushed red. Nail imprints were embossed upon her jawline, as though she dug them in there in fear. Her blonde hair cascaded down messily, like a ratty old rope. But she was on her knees and pleading, to a man in front of her, holding a belt.

"Don't hit him. . . Pl-please don-don't hit him." The woman stuttered, her voice unclear by her tears drowning out the proper pronunciations.

The man had his back turned, and Sam couldn't see what he really looked like, but he heard the anonymous man before he saw his face.

It was deep and all too familiar. It planted a certain fear immediately into Sam, the raspy seething voice was threatening, daring to bite a certain part of the boy's fright into something more. His words were swung like a sledgehammer and nearly decapitated Sam's heart at once.

"He's an alpha. . . Needs to start acting like one. . . Better beat out the shit now . . . Before later. . ." He grumbled out slowly, his voice echoed with brutality.

The shadow loosened its blood curling grip upon Sam's wrist and let the boy hit the floor, soulless and forced to watch the scene unfold himself.

Sam could hear but not react, only freeze lifeless and listen. His ears somehow became sharper, since he seemed to lose all other senses of action. And in front of the man was a child, curled up and crying. With five lash lines upon his back.

He sobbed and sobbed, voice hiccuping and head tucked under pale arms.

And Sam almost screamed when the boy lifted his head,

It was him.

"I'll do better, dad. Don't hit me, I'll do better." The younger Sam whined, his eyes not their normal brown, but an unknown violet. All of their eyes were violet.

Younger Sam's voice trailed out a final, "Don't hit me, I'll do better."

And then the white light grew dimmer, fading out the memory. . . But it showed the belt rise again and lash out upon the boy, making Sam who was watching let out a scream in protest,

"Leave him alone! Leave me alone! Get out of my head!" Sam shouted at them, but it was no use. For it only was a memory. A memory that Sam wanted to destroy.

As the memory faded, Sam tried to reach out for his younger self, to protect him from his Father's harmful clutches. But all he grabbed onto was the residue of lost hope.

And the white light disappeared altogether.

And back to the Black Room it was.

Sam was on the floor, his eyes shut tight and his hands still in fists, empty but at the same time filled with cries of the past. He felt his heart shaking, and his body let out trembles after trembles. He wasn't sure if it was the aftermath of what had just occurred or the shadow that was causing him to shiver once more, but the slight chuckle of malevolency that came from above confirmed it was it.

Sam looked up and shook his head, having no life in him to express anymore emotion.

This time the shadow had it's hood off, revealing a pale creature that was more terrifying than the devil himself. Upon the pasty white skin were embossed veins that dared to burst vermillion. Muscle and tissue of its eyes ripped out to reveal deep socket holes that could capture the largest of stars, skin ripped with taurine edges.

Where the nose should be was only a shadows of lines that barley had any traces of what a proper bridge looks like. Flesh of their cheek bones were hollowed and carved down, like hidden valleys that held a whole civilization of stories. An essence as haunting as a demons, and a smell as tantalizing as Pegasus blood.

Patterns of patchy pinks and blues from torn skin was displayed, and a curled up smile was plastered upon its face. It was teasing from cheekbone to cheekbone, to show off only decayed teeth and no trace of pity or emotion.

It's skeleton fingers were sharp and tracing circles on Sam's forehead, transferring not only iciness, but this time a sorrow that filled deep within him.

"What are you?" Sam whispered, unsure if he was asking himself or the shadow.

No reply, just another sinister chuckle spewed out.

Then, Sam felt a heavy feeling in his hand, and when he looked over there was am odd glossy shine that stood out. His heart almost stopped beating when it was a box, cubic and just like the one he had opened before. An emerald glistening on top with all its glory.

The creature's breath became uneasy, letting the alpha know below him that this was a weakness.

Sam pointed the box at the shadow, still restrained to the floor as some apprehensiveness fled. "I won't be locked in here with you!" Sam screamed at it. "WHAT ARE YOU?" he demanded.

The shadow only smiled.

"Have you not acknowledged me in so long?" The shadow chuckled. "I am you."

Sam's soulless body flinched and cringed violently when the shadow trailed its sharp, boney fingers against his neck this time.

"I lurk under your head, bathe in your memories. Soak in the despondency and manipulate the sureness of wealth. The nightmares which linger is my heartbeat, and the malicious thoughts are my disposition... your happiness is my antagonist, and your cries is the very blood that runs through my veins. . ." It seethed, voice heavy and raspy, like a snake it slithered into Sam's ears, digging it's fangs and transferring venom into his brain.

Sam screamed when it's nails dug into his temple, turning and twisting until it let out a longing moan,

It weakly groaned out, "We... are... almost... there..."

Then Sam screamed and pushed the emerald on top of the black box, causing the shadow to immediately vanish like fog and get sucked in like a house to a sinkhole. The box roared and shook with anger and protest of it being filled, but it silenced at once when it closed completely.

Suddenly, the Black Room itself into a whole new setting. The walls were now maroon brick, and upon them hung torches. The untouched ground was now a floor filled with chips of combined dirt and bones. A rather large crack that was in one of the cracks had an eerie green light pour in and play as a poor excuse for sunlight.

When the boy tries to move and explore where he was now, he was yanked back and helped in pain. Metal hugged Sam's wrists, and chains his waist, pinning him in place.

In front of him were bars, jagged and closed.

Sam's head rung and pounded, but the boy didn't know why.

He didn't know anything.

A sudden noise, like a clap, made him shake and shake the shackles in surprise.

"It's terrifying, isn't it?" A deep voice rung out.

Sam flickered his eyes up and saw a tall alpha. He had surreal black eyes, a tinge of melancholy green flickering in the torch flame. His chest broad and claws sharp. Dark patches littered beneath his skin. And towering horns protruded, as though he was some demon.

A print of a tattoo peaked out from the back of his coat.

The unknown alpha came forward into the light and was almost faced to Sam, but instead of acknowledging the boy any further, he knelt down and picked up a black box that was unfamiliar to Sam.

Once he held it in a fist, he faced Sam, kneeling down to match their height. Their two faces only inches away.

"Do you know your name?" The alpha asked, his eyes searching through the boy's blank face which held only the minuscule patch of fear.

"I-I don't remember. ." Sam choked out, the question bringing about a even larger ringing through his head.

The sides of the alphas lips lifted, "Do you know why you are here?"

"D-do you rec-reckon you know wh-who I am?" Sam felt hit tears build up in his eyes, in frustration and too much recalling brought about the pounding in showers instead of droplets.

Ignoring the question, Harry queries, "Do you know who Louis William Tomlinson is?"

Suddenly, a great ring banged through Sam's body, shaking his bones and rattling his nerves. His eyesight became blurry and staggered slashes. All he heard was an echo of someone laugh, someone. . .

Sam shook his head, "I-I don't remember. ."

Sam felt limp. His whole body was just slaving. It was as though he was dead, and only his heart was beating and the oxygen was still being breathed in.

Harry nodded in satisfaction, and then his hand reached out and grabbed a handful of Sam's shaggy blonde hair, before almost whispering in a venomous tone, "Don't lie, Malefactor."

Sam let out a cry, one out of either agony or confusion, "I do-don't kn-know wh-who I am, wh-why am I he-here?"

Harry let go of the handful of hair before allowing a lie to slip out of his mouth immediately, one only beneficial to himself. Selfish. But once he looked into the boy's eyes, the brown reflecting the green eerie light, it reminded the king of the omega. . . His omega. And how the weak alpha in front him's safety was part of the reason he had Louis. His own muscles tensed and veins tightened before fighting to go against his thoughts.

Harry let go of his hair before growling a,

"Your name does not matter anymore. Not here."

Sam shook his head, "I-I don't-"

Harry turned his heels, and walked through the rugged ground, making crunching sounds as his shoes hit the dirt and bones.

"Don't leave me! Wh-who am I? I'm sca-scared!" Sam screamed after him.

Harry stopped for a moment before saying his final words to the boy, "You can exist without your soul. You can exist without your memories. Though, you will have no sense of self anymore, no objectives, no . . . Anything. You will wander this world alone, slaving away to your own made up past. As long as your heart is still beating, and blood is still circulating, you will exist. . . Exist but not live. You are a corpse. Dead."

Sam let out a hiccuped sob, "Wh-what? Wh-why are yo-you doing th-this?"

but then, to shut down all questions and wails, Harry's jaggedly edged voice, which felt like broken glass, made slits around Sam's body when saying,

"Because this is my happy ending."

-

THE SOUND OF FESTIVITY Was almost ironic, Louis thought as he sat on the cushion of the throne. His hands were gripping at the golden handles, suffocatingly so. His fingerprints could have been leaving their imprints for centuries.

It disgusted the omega, to say the least. To see the dancing of couples, and the way they sway to the music the orchestras provided. The way each violin string touched and each flute blown was mocking him, almost. Making him forcefully watch his freedom, his purity, being taken away second by second.

Louis' body was adorned with thick, white lace. Each swirl of the fabric had tinges of a faded pink. It was tradition for a Luna during their coronation, where they get crowned as the queen, to wear a veil until the King arrives to lift it; symbolizing the shedding of the Luna's old life, and stepping into their new one.

"You know, frowning makes you look hideous, princess." An empathetic voice chirped next to him, making Louis almost scoff sarcastically.

"Haven't you heard?" Louis turned to Killian, "I'm the Luna." His voice laced out with disgust, humorless.

"Don't sound too excited, my queen." Killian mumbled, taking a sip of some unknown liquid from his glass. "Would you like some?" He offered, waving the goblet in front of Louis' face slightly.

To much of both of their surprise, Louis lifted his veil slightly and took the cup willingly, placing the cold glass against the cushion of his bottom lip, before his hooded eyes locked with Killian's wide ones, "I would much rather like to do this as least sober as possible."

Earning a chuckle from the shapeshifter, Louis took a longing sip, chugging down the drink whole, savoring the bitter cherry taste. The small hint of crimson coloring tainted his lips. But all he could remember was how Harry's lips tasted against his . . .

"Wine?" Louis hiccuped, handing back the glass and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, letting the veil fall down his face once again.

"Rum." Killian flashed a brilliant smile, his canines in full display.

Louis bit his lip once again, before he realized that he was trying to hold in a choked sob when Killian let the omega's head rest on his shoulder.

"Don't cry Louis, not today." Killian whispers, his calloused thumb swiping an escaped tear from the apples of his cheek. The shapeshifter did not understand how such beautiful, curious, blue eyes transformed quickly into dull stones with reddening rims from fear. The longing of Louis' smile spread through his body.

"I hate him, I hate him so much," Louis' voice muffled as he dug his face into the alpha's chest, knowing that all the party guests were too caught up in their own worlds to see him.

"He won't hurt you, dove. Harry is not as ruthless as he appears." Killian's heated breath trickled down the omega's skin.

Louis lets out a brief shiver and disconnected himself from the broad chest of Killian, before looking up with the slightest of confusion.

"How do you know?"

"He doesn't hurt those who are valuable to him." The lie felt more bitter against Killian's tongue than the rum.

Louis wanted to scream a loud why, but didn't do so since it seemed to have no affect on his situation whatsoever. So he stayed the way he was, looking down at his lap and fingernails picking at his skin. Itching to get away from the scene he was in right now.

But Louis didn't get very long to drown in his own self pity when he heard the music come to a halt, and the crowd in front of him split into two section. Omega's of the noble alphas curtsied, holding their dresses in between their fingers, while their mates knelt and hung their head low.

Louis felt Killian squeeze his hand, as though saying a silent farewell, but the omega knew it was much more than that when he looked up at the shapeshifter and saw a glint of pity in his eyes. Then Louis knew it was a "I'm sorry."

Gritting his teeth and clenching his jaw, Louis didn't bother to show any sign of respect, he just looked at those who were in front of him. Louis didn't even notice he wasn't breathing until he finally took an inhale of air to relive him from the incoming tension.

Louis was thankful for the veil, because he knew if he didn't have it draped over his face, his expressions would cause some form of an uproar. The way his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes were stony, cold, all of Stellarum would know how he felt.

A smell then captured the absolute attention of Louis, and he could tell that it did with the guests as well. It was musky, and very powerful. It was like how earth smelled after it bathed in rain. It smelled of the most pungent of flowers being burned. Sweet, but at the same time it left an unforgettable imprint upon anyone who dared inhale.

Louis felt a certain heat tighten around his chest, stomach, and lower region. It was involuntary, of course; it wasn't as though he could control his wolf. But of course, his eyes narrowed and nose scrunched up in displeasure once he saw the alpha behind the scent, and it was as though the arousal had never existed in the first place.

Everything about Harry just screamed power. The way he strides, and how the heels of his shoes echoed a sound that made everyone's breath hitch. His hair fell below his shoulders, a single, thick curl covering one onyx eye. And his horns seemed sharper, and claws longer than the last time Louis had seen him.

Two alphas, who Louis assumed were his most trusted advisors, were by his side, holding two pans filled with blue paint.

There was a tradition in these crownings. The king would unveil his queen, and then dip a finger in the paint provided, before marking where he would bite the omega and make him or her theirs. The omega, however, would do the same, except in private due to the image set upon them for "modesty" and "preserving their natural born innocence".

Louis then knew (by the sounds of the confused murmuring from the crowd) that he too had to stand. The crown that was placed upon his head glistened in the torch light. It's emeralds projecting out a colorful and playful pattern on the walls. It was rather large on Louis, and tilted just the slight, bringing the omega's fringe down to cover an eye as well.

Louis hesitantly stood up, careful not to let out a groan from obvious dismay. He knew any firm if protest would not only go against him, but also many of those who he loves.

'Harry promised to protect them, do this for their sake.' Louis told himself, almost in a scolding tone.

But that didn't stop the omega from getting up once Harry reached to the stage, giving a sarcastic curtesy without proper stance.

The crowd of people were obviously judging how such an unsophisticated Mergunt omega from the filthy Lowlands was chosen as their new queen, but there was not one single objection.

Because even without Harry warning or threatening any one of them, they all knew where their fate lied if one word out of place was to be projected.

And even though Louis was trying his best to even his breaths and keep his mind steady, he couldn't. Because Harry was close.

Too close.

The omega could feel every exhale from above, and the heat of his alpha's body radiate towards him. He could hear the thumping heart beat, and due to their size difference, Louis was right under it's parade.

Louis didn't dare to look up, he knew that if he looked straight into the intense glare of pure intimidation, he would probably make a face that will have a great impact on him later.

But once a warm thumb reached under the translucent veil, Louis felt his wolf melt and repeat the words 'mate' repeatedly. But the rough finger tilted Louis' chin up slightly, forcing blue eyes to meet black.

And even though the omega has been near Harry like this before, he had never actually scanned through his face. He had never analyzed every detail, ever scar and every dark spot. Louis saw from the edge of the king's mouth lied a deep cut that made its way all to his cheek. It looked old, obviously not fresh, but there was something to it that made Louis shiver.

Slowly, excruciatingly slowly, the veil was lifting. Harry didn't flicker his grave eyes from Louis for a moment, as though his life depended on staring into the blue abysses. The lace was now placed on the back of Louis' head, and waited for the next move to be done.

Harry dipped a long pointer finger inside a pan of blue paint, and then removed his eyes from Louis', before flickering them down to his neck. It made the omega full loudly, and his body ran on the thumping of his heart.

Carefully the curved claw first traced its outline softly, only making Louis shiver at the contact. And then Louis gasped, embarrassingly loudly, at the cold pads of Harry's fingers that was coated with thick paint; tainting the pale skin right below Louis' jawline. Harry's face stayed indifferent, but for a second, Louis did not miss the furrow of his eyebrows and the small lift of the corner of his mouth.

It was silent for a moment, but it felt like centuries. Harry's eyes not leaving Louis', and the pair clutching onto each other even though they were able to separate.

All of the crowd could probably sense the tension caused by Louis' obvious discomfort when Harry pulled him closer by his wrist. The way Harry's hand grazed slightly across his chest for a slight moment made Louis grimace and whimper, but it was all forgotten when the crowd bestowed in front of him knelt.

"Our Luna. . ." They all said in unison, some voices coming after only as distant echoes.

And once Louis was against Harry's tattooed bicep, he tried not to shut his eyes as those two words indicated that he was no longer in control of his own being.

Killian, from the crowd, was the only one who did not kneel. His head was resting on the grand door that all have entered from, lips glued against the refilled goblet of rum. The same goblet that Louis' lips once touched; His bloodcurdling grip sure to leave a dent. He couldn't object without having the same fate of those Mergunts being eaten by cyclops'.

But the shine in Louis' eyes were enough to make him look away, and only drink away the despairing coronation. His grip was no so terribly tight that his knuckles were pale from failed circulation.

And the omega tried not to scoff at the sugar-coated applause that followed after when ceremony was over, and the party had come alive once again; the sound of champagne corks burst and glasses clink against one another.

Louis looked up once more, trying to find Harry's eyes, but he was left with just the scent his alpha had now left in the air, disappearing from his side.

And Louis didn't know why he felt that pang in his chest.

"My Luna!" A deep voice said from behind him, causing the omega to turn around quickly out of surprise.

An olive toned man with tattoos devouring at his neck and eyes as brown as honey shot him a smile before bowing a tad. Louis noticed the pan of blue paint he was holding and immediately identified him as one of Harry's advisors.

"For you." He held out the pan, and stood there even after so.

Louis knew he looked like an idiot. His eyes blown and face still red from Harry even touching him with something as stupid as blue paint. And he looked like a total fool when Harry abandoned him, leaving his unexperienced self. But his eyes spotted a glass in the advisor's other hand as well.

"Um," Louis cleared his throat and shifted his feet, "is that a drink?"

The advisor looked down at his hand and nodded, "Oh, yes it is- would you like som-"

He didn't even get to finish his sentence when Louis hiccuped a small "Yes" and snatch the goblet, drinking down what tasted like a rush of strong beer mixed with something fruity; a terrible combination, but it worked out his nerves just fine.

Louis handed back the empty cup and looked at the advisor once more, ignoring his open mouth of surprise and the look of being taken aback.

"I'll take this, thank you." Louis grabbed the pan of paint, gave a curtesy, and started to walk away with a slight crooked sway.

The omega ignored the bows and attempts of conversation thrown at him as he made his way to the balcony, which was very much needed since the cool summer night wind will do him good.

The night had blossomed well, much to Louis' dismay. The stars were hung well, and clusters of the usual aurora borealis swung its blues and green colors as though it too was dancing to the music inside the castle. The moon had a pink hue, capturing the suns light from the other side and letting its shine paint over the sky.

It was unfair. It all looked unfair, felt unfair.

When you are in sadness or grief, it seems like you want everything and everyone else to be in the state you are. Forlorn, depressing, melancholy, gloomy, grey. Louis wanted rain, a storm, he wanted the sky to not be playful but suffocated with grey clouds. Because that is exactly he felt right now.

The sweet scent of Stellarum was always reliving, though. The castle was right above the Enchanted Forest. And the wisps of gold reminded Louis of the fairies, and the distant growling of the Wraiths and Griffins made him smile. Right beside the forest was the Siren Sea.

Louis looked with curious eyes at it's raging waves and how each splash at the shore had a violent rattle to it. Mermaids were known to flourish and reign there, and attract sailors at sea, diverging them off course.

A small tickling feeling was trickling on Louis' right hand, and the boy giggled when he found a monarch butterfly swaying its wings back and forth, laying on Louis as though he was the citrus; obviously was attracted by the omega scent.

But then the scent changed.

There it was again, the pungent smell that made the monarch fly away, quickly and swiftly at once. Louis furrowed his eyebrows but then froze when he heard the voice of the alpha he loathed.

"I never was quite fond of butterflies."

Harry clutched the railing and looked over the balcony, taking in the scene.

"Are you sure they aren't the ones who aren't fond of you?" Louis said back, not bothering to bite his tongue.

Surprisingly, Harry let out a brief chuckle. It was sarcastic, to say the most. Louis can't say he has ever heard the Alpha laugh. A real laugh. One where you throw your head back and just let whatever caused it to soak in and take control of your body.

"You aren't at the party," Harry stated, very obviously.

"A lamb doesn't celebrate it's death when caught by the wolf." Louis seethed bitterly, making Harry smirk.

Louis gasped when he felt familiar calloused hands find their way down to his waist and claws close to his thighs; lips pressed against his neck while the coldness of canines fanning over him.

"But the wolf celebrates its victory once it catches the lamb." Harry's heated breath says against Louis' ear.

When Harry clutched Louis' waist, he flipped the omega over and had his back to the railing. Harry's lips were close, too close. They were hovering over Louis' like a hummingbird over honey. Louis' mind went blank, only repeating HarryHarryHarry over and over again.

As his eyes closed and waited for the impact, but nothing contact with his thin lips, only a certain spot right under his jawline.

"Here," Harry breathed out, "here is the spot I have claimed on your body. A spot where my mark will be made, showing all of Stellarum how their queen has been tainted by their king."

Louis felt the thick knot of the alpha being pressed against his groin, rutting ever so slightly. At this point, neither of their scents were to be smelled, only a musky arousal. The rough skin of Harry's hands travelled down to the tanned thighs of Louis, which had been oiled and shaved to demean the richest of silk when he was being pampered by the maids before the ceremony.

Sweat beaded on their body's like the stars above on the night sky, and Harry bit down hard on Louis' ear lobe, flicking his tongue at the soft skin. Louis let out a small whine mixed with pleasure and the tiniest bit of discontent in return.

"The only thing that will be tainted by their king is his failing reign." Louis sighed back.

And if malevolence could have a voice, Harry's laugh would make it whimper in fear. It was slow and raspy, octaves deeper than his speaking.

Harry then ran his fingers through Louis' hair, pushing it back so his cerulean eyes were put on display. And the omega definitely didn't miss the small snippet of green reflecting in Harry's onyx eyes once the contact was made, but the omega quickly lost the gaze and looked down at his feet.

Louis captured the hands from going any further, and much to Harry's surprise, he didn't say anything to stop the actions, only a shake of the head.

"Look at me, lamb." Harry growled, frustrated but not daring to continue his actions. Only observing the intrusions creature below him, blue paint still in streaks and messily scatter on the marked region.

"Look at your Alpha."

Louis took a gulp and did as he was told at the wording provided.

"One thing I will not fail at is bedding you during your next heat," Harry breathed out, smirking to himself when Louis let out a throaty moan or surprise when his inner thigh was slapped.

Louis felt himself lock his legs around Harry, holding on for his dear life as the alpha dryly rutted and touched the omega. There was immense trust without both of them knowing, the rail could only halt so much. Louis finally let out a "N-No."

"No?" Harry brought his face to Louis' neck and nipped at the soft spots, "Not the fucking? You can think what you want for now, omega, but I will get my teeth to break that skin of yours right on the spot I have marked.."

Louis felt the girth of Harry relentlessly grind onto him against his own, only fabrics of their trousers separating them. Whimpers and moans fell from his bitten lips and Louis' face twisted in involuntary pleasure.

Louis saw white spots from the corners of his eyes, before he pushed Harry's chest weakly, knowing that it won't do anything, but it shocked Louis when Harry freed Louis from his clutches almost immediately, and let him do what he must.

The Luna reached his tiny fingers over to the buttons of Harry's rough shirt, stretching already since the broadness of his shoulders were almost too much for the material to handle. And Harry just looked up at the creature, watching with wide, curious eyes.

"No," Louis whispered this time, picking up the pan of paint that was resting on the ground below them, still wet.

Harry's chest was now fully exposed, tattoos that were meaningless in Louis' eyes. One odd lily flower was all Louis could make out right under his collarbones. As Louis traced over it slightly, he picked up the pan of paint once again.

"You'll wait for me." Was all Louis said as he started to trail the finger down the tanned chest filled with scars; all of them with stories behind their deep carvings.

All Harry could do was watch, watch the intriguing omega right in front of him. The way his body doesn't shake with fear, but shook with sarcastic comments ready to be thrown out. The way he squints his eyes ever so slightly, trying not to mess up a single line or curve.

"And what makes you think that?" Harry growled out, amused.

Louis' pointer finger curved what seems a final letter, and he flickered his eyes up to meet Harry's, before shifting on the alpha and saying,

"Because you wouldn't hurt something valuable to you." Louis repeats Killian's words.

Another one of Harry's sinister laughs echoed through the night, "Oh? Elaborate your statement, omega."

It seemed that even the stars stopped their twinkiling and the earth stopped spinning when Louis closed the space between him and Harry, getting in real close and leaned in while he brushed Harry's nose with his own, smirking when he heard the king's breath hitch out of surprise, and whispering in his soon-to-be-mate's ear:

"Because the wolf savors the lamb till it's next feast."

And with that being said, Louis climbed off of the alpha at once and left the pan of no used up paint besides him, going back to the party.

Harry was left there breathless and a smile was plastered onto his face. His canines were left without the taste of blood and sharp claws didn't gauge any skin. The feel of Louis' nose against his still left sparks, and he ignored the roaring inside his head when he touched the spot Louis marked with the paint.

But the blue paint spelled out three words, three words that made Harry's animalistic eyes tamed and mouth in a full blown grin. The omega was something else, something wild.

In sloppy handwriting wrote across the man's exposed chest,

 ** _'YOURE THE LAMB.’_**  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.


	22. Night Walks and Bickering

_**October, Autumn** _   
_**Entry 50** _

_I think heaven and hell made a plan that night of the brief kiss of September. They allied forces and conjoined in a whole knew scene, a whole new place. A Tophet, it was, but a fire you did not mind getting burned in._

_Lillian was more distant. Very distant. Her sunken eyes were depressed and withered like daisies potted in a clenched fist._

_It was strange, though._

_The way she would go out on the darkest of winter nights and wear a simple white cape, it's see-through lunacy outshining the moonlight itself. A sun in the dark._

_Even the wind seemed to take pity upon the girl, blowing a slight breeze in her direction, afraid she may fly away into oblivion. It did seem as though the hollows of her collarbones held a valley, a civilization ready to collapse._

_Her hands, lotioned to smooth out the teeth marks painted on her knuckles. Her skin will bruise if you hug her too tightly. Her skin was not paper, oh no, paper was too strong. Too thick._

_You'd wonder if Lillian was the one who was supposed to be the savior._

_You'd wonder if the blades of grass could kill her._

_Each vertebrae lining down her back protrudes upwards like a mountain, waiting for the time the avalanche comes pouring down until the deserts between her ribs finally are full with something._

_The hollows in her cheeks were not just hollows, no, they were deep oceans that were drained from water. But you would still question to yourself if you could still drown._

_The flame that once lied in her eyes was now dim, and the violet rimmed around her eyes was a loud 'I surrender'._

_Lillian didn't let me touch her that night. She didn't let me look at her._

_Her fingers went down to her neck and goosebumps appeared upon her arms as she touched the cold metal of the necklace wrapped around her. She unclipped the jewelry, shaking her head and handing it in my hand, her eyes not daring to meet mine._

_The same black necklace with a green emerald I had gifted to her on our wedding night._

_"I'm sorry Harry." She took a deep breath, as though it took her all her power to say those two words and that simple pause in between before she continued through a shaky silence,_

_"But I don't think I can love you."_

_That was under the hanging tree._

_Who knew that soon the cherry blossoms were going to have some company after that night._

-

LOUIS WOKE Up to the sound of screams before the light of the sun hit him.

A blood curling scream, to be exact. One that echoed throughout the whole castle. The halls, the rooms, the walls, and even the floorboards. It was deep and pleading, like hell's gate had been cracked open and all the sinners look above hoping to cheat their way out. A banshee kissing the devil himself.

Louis' whole body shook and flinched immediately with sudden shock and fright. He found himself using the sheets of the Locus to cover his topless body, and his short legs which were shamelessly occupied with only laced, cotton socks.

Louis furrowed his eyebrows, not remembering stripping off his clothes or even laying down from the night before. His wedding dress was underneath him, and veil thrown off to the side. His head pounded, results of the doses of alcohol that the omega felt washing over him like a tsunami.

"How in the hell?" Louis looked down at his thighs and saw bright violet and blue bruises lining up, some small and hidden, but sensitive enough when the soft silk of the bedsheets grazed over the marks.

The room was excessively large, but Louis felt like the walls were about to close in on him any second now, and the atmosphere was thick and unfamiliar. As he rolled over to the side, a simple glass and orange capsule with a note besides it came into view. A simple word written in rough handwriting, as though this was rushed:

'Drink.'

Louis found himself trace the word with his finger, finding the corners of his mouth flick up at the rough edges of the 'K'. Harry's writing had personality as well, transferring his blunt disposition throughout.

Louis grasped the glass, ignoring the pill and just took a desperate gulp of water, almost whining in pleasure from how the coolness rushed down his throat and hits his stomach; like a raindrop from the sky hitting the desert floor.

But the feeling of content did not last very long, when a roar was to be heard, echoing through the whole room, audacity enough to shake the starts above. The cry bounced off the walls, making Louis flinch in surprise once more and his instinct to see what it was came into play.

Louis stepped onto the floor and used the sheets as some sort of makeshift shirt, only to cover his modesty for now. His naked feet didn't mind the cold wood of the ground, and certainly they wouldn't mind the soft plush of the carpet.

Reluctantly, Louis walked towards the door, alert for any form of danger to come his way. Unfortunately for the omega, it was difficult to make his way around the room since light was scarce; the only source of illumination was the key holes oozing light coming from the outside.

A shaky hand gripped the handle, and twisted to allow the hinges to make a screechy 'Sqee' sound. Without one look back, Louis began wandering in the empty halls.

Much to his luck, the area was lit up by hung torches. They seemed to be charmed carriers of light, for they were hovering above the ground without clutches to hold them back against the surfaces of the walls. It was magical, really, the way the flickers of fire seemed to dance to the tiniest hint of air daring to blow it down.

Louis grabs one by the handle, using its lunacy to his own advantage against the unknown he knows as darkness. One hand was gripping the silk sheets against his body, and one to grip the torch, careful not to bring the fire too close to his body.

The castle seemed to have a certain personality come alive at night. The same walls with chipped paint and cobwebs were now hidden underneath a blanket of darkness, playfully feasting any curious wanderer who passes by. The ceiling's tainted class captured the moon light and absorbed the colors like a sponge, showering the floor with its beauty.

Louis was in awe, from how the night itself was like a company of its own. The silence of the castle (besides the on and off screaming) complimented the mischievous outside world; from the mermaids singing that can be heard all the way from the sea, to the malevolent laughing of the tricky trolls.

As Louis walked forward, the floorboards creaked and whined in protest, the splinters on its sides making the omega cautious from where he was stepping and a tad wobbly on his feet. Yet of course, due to his clumsiness Louis' toe pricked the sharp edge of wood.

"Ow!" Louis screeched, tumbling back on a wall, his back connecting with the concrete surface.

And then he heard it.

"Ouch! Watch where you're going, Mergunt!" A raspy accent spat, angry and bitter.

Louis widened his eyes, looking at the floorboards with disbelief and ignored his throbbing toe altogether. He quickly pointed his hovering torch over on the floor, inspecting it close with wonder and confusion.

"H-hello?" Louis says as a test, looking at the wooden floor with ears open, awaiting an answer.

"Not down there, you damp mop. Up here." The voice says again, this time sarcastic and mocking.

Louis furrowed his eyebrows and turned around, using the small source of illumination to spread its joyous light against the wall he had bumped in before; only to find no one there. Just a portrait oil painting of an old woman in renaissance-like clothing.

"What? You've never seen a talking picture before?" The old woman says.

Louis squeaked, jumping aback with surprise, losing grip on his torch.

"Figures." She rolled her eyes.

The omega recollected himself, making distance between himself and the wall. Louis tightened his hold on his silk 'robe', using it to cover himself as though it was some sort of armor of everlasting protection.

"Y-you can talk?" Louis almost whispers, his fingers tracing the frame of the painting.

"Well of course I can talk! Hey, fingers off, philistine!" The woman says, looking down at Louis' fingers in disgust.

Louis immediately did so, "I'm sorry."

The woman scoffed, "What do you need, lad? Three hundred years of slumber gone to waste because some mutt didn't watch where he was going is not going to be my legacy, I won't allow it."

Louis ignored her rude tone with a hung mouth, "You've been asleep for three hundred years?"

"What do you want me to do? I don't really have the limbs to party, now do I?" She shoots, tone offended.

"Right, sorry," Louis says.

"Well?" The portrait asks, "what brings you down at night so late? I'm sure you know we have a strict curfew here."

"I heard screaming, it sounded terrifying. I think someone's hurt." Louis explains, smelling something rotten immediately come from across the hall.

The old woman's eyes widen and her tan paint goes two shades lighter, "You have no business sticking your nose out here, boy. Go back to your room immediately, Master Harry will be livid."

"Master?" Louis asks with a scoff, "does he really make you call him that?"

"Return this instant- don't you dare walk away! Come back, you pest! You'll have your own head for this!" The painting tried threatening, but failed when she heard tiny, padded feet trail off in the distance.

The same bloody smell came back at once, before only a tiny ripple, but now a giant wave washing over the omega like a hurricane. Rusty and putting a cemetery to shame, the distinctive scent of corpses and burnt bodies trailed out when Louis made a turn on a corner.

Louis coughed almost immediately, and suddenly noticed how the ground changed as well. The floor boards were now covered with vermillion stains, and the chipped walls were now covered in nail marks; as though some sort of animal was trying to escape from its cage.

Torch lights did it illuminate this part of the castle, only the stained glass ceiling let out an eerie color of green and blue, making the atmosphere excruciatingly cold and unwelcoming. There were small tallies as well upon the walls, made with nail marks once again. To Louis, it looked like the devil counting his days in hell. Or at least that's the type of personality the room gave out.

Chains and cuffs were hung down, rust building up inside of the metal clutches. The walls had different types of weapons and objects, each and every one of them had their own symbols engraved to the sides of the blades.

Louis widened his eyes and gulped loudly when hearing the same bloodcurdling scream spew out once again, this time closer than ever. And once he looked the end of the room, he knew the source of the howls.

A man was hung from his wrists, his shirt off and lashes against back. Deep gashes were shown, flesh visible and vulnerable to even the minuscule of air. Dark hair was matted to his forehead, naked chest moving up and down rapidly and desperately, as though the heavy oxygen was the only thing that was still pumping his heart.

The sight was horrendous and made Louis pale, his hands shaking in horror as the man seemed to struggle ever so slightly, because if he shook too much his wrists would have fell off along with him. His locks covered his eyes, and face was too bruised to make out.

A small gash was made on the left side of his neck, unknown black ink matting around the scar.

Louis stayed behind a wall, looking from only a distance. The torch light had dimmed so far down that it might as well be just blown out. The omega let go and felt the silk robe ride down, and he pulled it back over him like a blanket, hoping the warmth would help him stop shaking like he was possessed. It didn't.

Just as Louis began to move his feet hesitantly towards the victim, hoping he could help some way, a large door slammed; making him return back to his hidden corner. And then went that scent again:

It was musky, and very powerful. It was like how earth smelled after it bathed in rain. It smelled of the most pungent of flowers being burned. Sweet, but at the same time it left an unforgettable imprint upon anyone who dared inhale.

But it was different this time. The sweetness was like rotten fruit. There was a foreign aura. A whole new host.

Louis' breath hitches when Harry comes into sight. He was not hard to miss, his horns made a trade mark of their own. His loose hair sat on top of his head, tied together in a bun. He too was no wearing a shirt, his back and chest was covered in blood. Which was not his own. Every inch and every muscle was covered with either scars or inked patters. Each protruding vertebrae was a planet, and odd shapes of ships and claw marks ran down his tones arms.

His alpha back muscles was like his pungent smell, and eyes completely an unknown crimson; no longer an onyx ditch. Harry's jaw is tight and his teeth clenched in an undetectable anger. Animalistic and lost.

A whip was in his hand, withered at the bottom for more pain at each strike, matching the same gashes out upon the prisoner he held captive.

Harry's jaw tightens as he clenches his teeth in fury. The black eye is always undetectable in its feelings but the green one is strongly wild and bold.

"Please, don't." Louis whispered to himself, knowing Harry couldn't hear him but still had hope that the whip was going to drop to the floor instead be connected on someone's skin.

Louis' thoughts were cut short when Harry lifted the whip and lashed it out once again on the man's body, ripping out another scream, this one desperate and pleading.

"Please! Please!" It yelled out, squirming like some sort of caged bird.

The man's body sags and his back turns at a gut clenching angle that shows the deep gash in his side where Harry tore through it. His skin looked as though it was boiled alive from the brilliant red color, and even through the marine lighting Louis can see the vermillion liquid soaking the man's pants.

Harry has the man sobbing dryly, a hand around his throat ever so slightly and his nails digging into the scar on his neck. The man doesn't get the chance to scream this time because he's biting down on his own arm to make this process hurt a whole lot less.

But just as Harry raises the whip again, Louis runs towards the alpha and pushed at his chest.

"Are you mental!? Stop! Leave him alone! Leave him alone!" Louis punched at Harry's chest pathetically, knowing that there was no difference he was making.

Louis felt a strike of pain then rush to his left cheek, a throbbing hell. He falls to the ground and is immediately then stripped away from the silk blanket that was covering his upper body.

Louis started to back away from Harry, trying not to focus much on the fact that his own alpha had just hit him. But that was all just a mistake when the pain became overbearing and took over Louis, forcing him to stay in place like some sort of helpless statue.

The large patch of wet blood on the side of Harry's mouth is wiped by his back hand, and it swipes upward to cover his left cheek. His canines were sharper and eyes full blown; unreadable and drowning in their own sea of malevolent intent. And for the first time Louis questions why Harry's eyes embody pure terror.

Louis hears himself let out a small cry as his thin wrists were roughly grabbed and pulled so hurriedly. He could already feel the rough bruises that were going to form the next day. Louis wiped an escaped tear, not allowing himself to diverge his gaze from the intensity of the Alpha's stare.

"Why are you here?" Harry growled, and Louis remained quiet and whimpering from the amount of pressure that was going towards his arms.

"Answer me!" Harry roared, Louis felt his eyes burn and his whole core shaking.

"You're going to kill him! He can't handle this much pain!" Louis dodges Harry's question with genuine concern and his own frustration coming alive, ready to devour Harry's rage.

Harry had then ceased Louis by his waist and shoved him ruthlessly against the wall, hands on his shoulders to pin him and showing no pity even when sounds of discontent were said against the alpha. Harry feels the bruises form under his fingertips, but doesn't let that factor faze him the slightest of bit.

"If I ever see you back here again your fate will lie where the thief is now," Harry snarls, Harry indelicately removes Louis hand from the omega's lower back and snakes his own calloused hand around the omega's large hips. Louis has no choice but to feel the bloody mess upon his skin.

"Do you understand?" Harry almost shouts once again, rattling every bone inside Louis.

Louis looks up, scared and trembling, into Harry's eyes. The Alpha's eyes flicker back to a melancholy black before returning to its animalistic red. Before his eyes take the transition, the fear in Louis attempts to escape when Harry cups Louis' cheek, and presses a fingerprint of blood to his jaw. Louis shakes his head and pleadingly grasps Harry's wrist with his hand and says helplessly:

"Don't kill him, Harry, please don't kill him," Louis says pleadingly, but as he hears doors open and his shoulders being grabbed by guards, he knows his words were just waved away into the ashes.

The night only was washed away with Louis' shouts of protests and one thing was on the omega's mind: the lifeless body of the man and his pleaded screams.

And Louis could only ask himself one thing:

Was death really more worse than being Harry's mate?

.  
.  
.  
.  
.


	23. Worried Nurses and Queries

**_July, Summer_ **   
**_Entry 85_ **

It was an evil spirit standing in the middle of the faint light  
It's howling withered through the night.  
It wore a famished stomach  
And a hunger for fear   
Devouring in vain.

His cold eyes stared at me  
No pity.   
No heart  
Only a suffocating thirst  
For anything with a damned soul

I went up to him, took his hand, and kissed it.  
I felt a tear on my hand  
I tighten my grip on him.  
He said, "don't be afraid,"   
"We are going home together."

Beneath our feet there lay men  
Crushed, trampled underfoot, dying.  
The darkness enveloped us.  
I no longer felt the pain.  
or fear.

Are you scared? We too were scared.  
like cattle in the slaughterhouse.  
Alone, terribly alone.  
My mind was empty.  
Help me enter eternity.  
-

LOUIS LET OUT A HISS When the wet cloth connected with his skin. The unknown liquid that damped the wool was stinging the wound, like a thousand minuscule knives being dug into him.

"Hold still, dove, we're almost done." Killian whispered, watching the nurse dip the cloth back into the alcohol solution placed in a tin bowl.

"My word, my word! How in golden golems did you manage to get a cut this deep?" The large woman asked, pushing her rather large glasses up her small nose; the heavy material weighing the cartilage down.

Killian tilted Louis' chin upward for the nurse to examine more carefully, his calloused fingers then trailing to his cheek to the mark Harry had left from the whip. A deep violet with crimson edges, like a streak of pigmented paint was swiped upon the omega. No doubt to leave a scar, a constant reminder of where it came from.

Killian also looked down at Louis with a raised eyebrow, confirming the he would also like to know the answer to that question. But when Louis looked up with a sea of blue mortification and uneasiness, the deep breath that came from the shapeshifter was a clear, 'we'll talk about this later.'

"His mischievous curiosity gets the best of him, and his clumsiness is not a good mix," Killian sighed, making the nurse tut and give Louis a hard stare.

"Bet this would teach you a lesson! You should never put yourself in a dangerous situation! Huh, what if this cut was on your eye? A blind Luna for Stellarum, and careless mate for the King, and an execution on my hands. Oh dear, oh dear!" The nurse exclaimed dramatically.

Before Louis could answer, the cloth connected with his cheek once again, causing the omega to let out another whine; this one full of discomfort than pain.

"Oh don't you whine at me! I'm in very toilsome dilemma, your life is in my hands! Mine! Oh dear Lord of all things tranquil, give me strength!"

"Oh cut it out, Healer Burdfern, you're scaring the pup. It's just a cut." Killian hushes, getting a scoff from the round nurse as she pushes up her spectacles once again.

"Make sure the boy doesn't run into more mischief while I'm on my way to get some more pungunberry alcohol. Humph! Just a cut! Just a cut! We are talking about a life!" Her last sentence was trailed off as she leaves the infirmary in a hurry, leaving her pungent trail of medicine behind her.

The shapeshifter bit his lip, trying to study the gash but the fragile grip of the omega making it hard. The vulnerable skin flashed its exposed flesh when the sun beamed its light in just the right angle. He grabbed the cloth himself and swiped it across the cut, but then let I drop to the floor almost immediately.

"'t hurts." Louis winced softly before shutting his eyes tight when the cloth connects with his cheek once more, squeezing Killian's hand as hard as he could.

"Alright, the worst part is over. Look at me now, dove." Killian says, furrowing his eyebrows is discontent as Louis looked at his lap, his eyes scrunched tight. And when Louis does finally tilt his head up, but his eyes refused to connect with Killian's.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you, okay? You're safe here. You can look up, Louis." The alpha reassured, taking a seat next to the omega on the cushion-like bed.

"I feel like shit." Louis groaned and grabbed the pillow behind him to shove his face in.

"Yeah, you look it too." Killian smiled weakly, pushing back Louis' hair back with his fingertips, not after earning a hit with the pillow across his face of course.

The moment was easing, the atmosphere cleared up when Killian saw the corners of Louis' mouth fighting a smile, but completely giving up as the crinkles of his eyes were to be shown.

But the fog of despondency was rolling in like thunderclouds as Louis shuddered when Killian tried to stoke his back once again, chills of memories appeared as goosebumps.

Louis lifts up the pillow from his face and shakes his head, "He has a prisoner."

'He.' There was no need for a name to be said because the pair New exactly who was being spoken about.

"You shouldn't have wandered alone, especially, at night. You weren't supposed to see anything, Louis. That wasn't his intention." Killian assured, his voice going octaves deeper, the alpha tone making Louis shiver.

"And that makes it okay? The fact that I wasn't supposed to see it makes it even worse. How could you hear the man's screams and sleep like it were the ogres in the forest?" Louis argued, feeling heat on his gash.

"There are some things in this castle that go unspoken, dove. Morality is the least of anyone's worries, let alone his." Killian's eyes going a red, alpha instincts to comfort a bewildered omega tantalizing his mind.

Louis looks up at the shapeshifter and shakes his head, "the prisoner was in chains, his body was sagging in defeat, like he was about to be whipped to death. It's not about morality, it's about the compassion left inside him."

"You need morality in order to have compassion, and a sense in order to have morality." Killian says in a low voice when he watched Louis' top teeth sink down on the cushion of his bottom lip, but snaps out of it when Louis speaks up once again.

"This is insanity. He didn't even seem like himself, Killian. His eyes were... lost. Pitch black and his features were more prominent than before. It was like he was a," Louis stops and shakes his head, the memory of the night before overwhelming him.

"An animal?" Killian offers, his face dangerously close to Louis'.

"A beast." Louis finishes, turning his head from Killian's and sighs out a small hum of discomfort coming from his scar once again.

"It's alright, Omega. You're alright." Killian puts a large hand on Louis' shoulders and presses down a bit of weight to untangle any tension building up in the area . "I'll take care of you."

Louis bites his lip once again as the reassuring tint in Killian's voice makes the weight upon his head lessen when ordinarily it would only increase in size. Louis turns his head to Killian's eyes again, and in a deep stare, he says, "Can I ask you something, Killian?"

"Of course, my queen." Killian's tone was lighthearted and the blue returns in his eyes.

"Do you. . . Do you think Harry would ever," Louis' voice goes down in a whisper, as though he was going to talk himself out of this query, but when Killian gives Louis' hand an assuring squeeze, Louis finishes.

"Do you think Harry would ever kill me?"

And before the shapeshifter's eyes could go a vermillion red again, the infirmary's door opens as Healer Burdfern's body was there standing alongside a guards.

"King Harry has requested a carriage ride with his mate. Immediately."


	24. Dandilions and Violent Kisses

LOUIS HAD NOT Realized how long it had been since he had felt grass on his feet. And how the tips of each blade tickle the soft skin of his ankles, and seems to reach up to his leg when he rides his trousers up.

Each wildflower makes a mischievous sound as Louis picks them and tucks some behind an ear, loving the smell and how it reminds him of his freedom days at home. Even though he was in a castle, the thought of the Lowlands almost seemed like a luxury of some sort.

The playful water from small streams contacted with the soles of his feet first, almost making Louis chuckle happily in pleasured surprise. The feel of running water made him crouch down to the dirt and fold his hands on top of one another, collecting as much water as he could and fly it in the air; feeling it come down like rain from thunderclouds.

"How much longer must I hold his shoes?" One guard asked Killian in a monotone voice, sounding distasteful, clicking the slippers that Louis had handed him so he could feel Stellarum after a long time.

"Give the boy a moment, it's been a long while since he has been outside so freely." Killian whispered back, not even looking at the guard while speaking; too busy looking at Louis in his state.

"My lord, with no disrespect, we must get going. We have delayed this carriage ride for a while now. How much longer must we wait more?" The guard asks impatiently, taking out his stopwatch and tapping it a few times with his pointer finger.

"As long as it takes. I have a feeling that our Luna won't get moments like these to be free just handed to him anymore, do you?" Killian asked bitterly, heart sinking a little.

"No, my lord." And that was all it took for the guard to stand straight and clutch the slippers in his hands tighter.

Louis looks up and almost sighs in longing when he sees the brilliant sky again, tones of pink and purple playing with the base of blue. He also had forgotten how big the world was and how open it could be.

The afternoon sky is mostly cloaked with cotton cumulus clouds, bleached white balls of fluff; transparent so the white colors of its base mirror the hues of the sky. It seemed like Louis could even see the colors of heat that the sun poured down; oranges and burnt reds coming down in muted shades.

The last drop of sunlight before night fell felt like an absolute heaven. The way the warmth danced around on his cheeks, and was careful around the wound made this simple task even more magical. You never know what you had until you lost it, and Louis definitely lost his freedom. He knows this for a fact because if he hadn't lost it so, then being outside like this shouldn't feel as pleasurable as it did right now.

A hand was put on his shoulder, Louis looked up and saw Killian stand there with the guard right behind him.

"Ready to go, dove? They're all waiting for you in the carriage." The shapeshifter asked, Louis nodding in response and holding up his hand.

"Look, a dandelion." The omega said with excitement in his eyes, carefully showing Killian the long green stem and a soft grey-white top that looks like minuscule snowflakes on top of one another.

Killian took the flower and looked at it closely, his eyebrows furrowed as though he was actually examining it carefully. "Forgot we had those in the yard."

"They're my favorite. Did you know fairy make hats with one little floret for the babies. And also that they blow the rest of the florets away as a wish of a long life?" Louis' eyes were so bright when talking about his little facts it was almost endearing to see the sparkle in them dance around.

"I did not know that actually. The question is, how do you know that? I thought you claimed you never broke into the forest?" Killian smirked and watched Louis roll his eyes.

"Oh please, what's the point of hiding it now? Can't get myself in deeper shit, now can I?" Louis shrugs, twirling the dandelion ever so slightly, not wanting any floret to disappear into the wind.

"I'm sure you'll find a way, dove." Killian assures.

"Thank you, my lord." Louis stops walking and holds the dandelion up to the shapeshifter' lips.

"What, you want me to eat it?" Killian asked in a serious voice, causing Louis to let out a loud laugh.

"No, you idiot. Close your eyes and make a wish, then blow the florets off." Louis explained, holding it out once more and shaking it around a little like he was tempting the alpha.

"We really should be goin-" Killian started but Louis cut him off.

"Once you make your wish, I'll go with you. I could stand here all night and day." Louis shrugs, concealing his smile perfectly.

"Seriously?" Killian raises a brow in disbelief.

Louis hums and stands still.

"I could just caste a spell on you and carry you back to the carriage." Killian reminds.

"But you won't because I'll scream, oh! And I'll bite." Louis smiles deviously.

With one last sigh, Killian closes his eyes and thinks of a wish.

"I want chocolate cake to be served today for dinner." And then without second thought, blows the dandelion apart. Some of the florets being blown directly in to Louis' face.

"You shit! You were supposed to say the wish in your head, now it won't come true." Louis pouted and let the dandelion stem fall to the ground.

"Oh dear, does that mean no cake?" Killian sarcastically sighs.

"No cake." Louis groans.

"A pity."

"Oh well, that's a shame, bec-" Louis retorted but words lost in the air.

The sound of harsh neighing ripped the air then, shooting through Louis' ears at once and causing his eyes to instantly look at the source of the noise. A highlight of bright color was flashing through his eyes as the sun hit the odd thing.

Louis almost dropped to his knees once again in shock when he saw large wings extend into the empty space in front of the courtyard. Two men were holding a rather large Pegasus, a pure white stallion with a chrome-like finish of pure gold.

The saddles were worn proudly by the Pegasus, along with the roguish and troublesome going in its beady black eyes. It was no doubt that this specific Pegasus was far more magnificent than any other kind Louis had ever seen; with its graceful tail and strong hooves that put it in first place.

It's wingspan was longer than any average man, and appeared thicker than any average ogres stomach. But the thin cut edges was no doubt a huge factor in its speed, because this creatures senses picked up scents fast and it had no time to waste.

Louis could tell that for sure, because instantly he saw the Pegasus come rushing towards him with a long tongue sticking out, licking the boy's face all over.

"He-" Louis laughed as the Pegasus' cold tongue licked his hand as well, "-llo to you too!"

It's soft hair fell on Louis' face as well, silky and smelling of grass. Louis lifted a hand and rubbed it on his head back and forth in small strokes, soothing the animal and making it drone vibrations of appeasement.

"I think it likes me!" The animal went down and rested its head upon Louis' body.

Louis could sit up once the hyper animal was familiar with him, and watch in   
excitement and awe on how magnificent this creature was. Strong, proud, has the ability to kill; but loyal and kindhearted.

"An aurum Pegasus? I was told this would be a carriage ride, not a damned hunting trip." Killian seethed to the guard.

"M-my apologies sir, there. There have been a mistake with the transl-" The guard started but was cut off when his collar was held up by Killian's grasp

"The omega cannot attend this trip, it's far too-" Killian said before a voice rang through his ears.

"Murderous?" Harry offered, showing into the scene with his canines out and hair wild. There was dried red around his lips, and eyes a lost blood bath.

"Precisely." Killian said through gritted teeth.

The Pegasus started neighing once again, this time deeper and not as consistent. It rushed over to the scent of a bonfire and honeydew. It's wood-like, but also nostalgic and makes you wonder if you had a life before you have inhaled this scent.; it smells like something you forgot a long time ago.

The winged stallion immediately was out of Louis' hair and rushed to Harry, not daring to pounce upon the king or its master, only bowing in respect and waiting for it to be used as some vehicle. Harry's claws soothed out its hair, and eyes looked directly into Louis'.

Louis' lip seemed to bleed by the amount of pressure his teeth were putting down on the cushion of his lip. He cringed at the thought of being alone with Harry for an ordinary carriage ride, but absolutely was terrified at the thought of being alone with Harry for a hunting trip.

"You can't be genuine Harry, a hunting trip is too violent to take an omega along. Louis won't be able-" Killian reasoned but was silenced with a raise of the hand by Harry.

"You may leave, along with you men," Harry nodded at the guards who carried out the Pegasus from its stable. "I wish to be alone it with my omega for this trip."

Killian clenched his jaw and looked back at Louis, leaving with the guards and heading back to the castle almost immediately.

Walking past Louis, Killian crouched down and whispered, "I'll find another dandelion and wish that you don't do anything idiotic."

And with that the rest curved through the sidewalk of the yard and headed in a new direction home. Leaving Louis and Harry there alone, only the Pegasus and the sky as their witnesses.

Still knee deep in the ground, Louis was frozen in place. Every time he looked at the king in front of him, only the memory of the night before was the first thing to come to mind. Louis couldn't even recognize this creature from the one he had encountered before.

Last night this creature was vicious, willing to kill anyone or anything that got in its way. Under eye veins that looked like streams were red and black rivers of hell yesterday, but now a blue and purple abyss.

His chest was bare, only somewhat covered with a heavily embroidered vest. The pants he wore were dark and ripped, like he came out of a fight before entering the courtyard. The smell of him was a trick, because although it was comforting and somewhat soothing to Louis, the host of the scent was a vicious predator; like a siren haunting it's desired sailor.

His jaw was as sharp as a dagger and abnormally prominent. His cheekbones were also defined, the slight hollow of his cheeks had small lines in the middle of each apple; showing traces of dimples.

His lips were a deep red as blood, the color transferring to the outsides of his mouth as well; the corners were ringed with a violent violet. The lips were marked with small cuts and slits, most likely from his razor sharp teeth that seem to sink in them often.

Each side of Harry's face looked like a stroke of a brush from an artist. Every detail on his face could not have been there coincidentally, he was surely not real.

Louis couldn't help but stare, or count each step Harry took in his head. The tattoos he had scattered all over on his stomach throughout his chest left so much to the imagination. Much of the open vest covered the ink, but that didn't stop the omega from wondering what each of them meant and represented. The only thing Louis could make out was a lily flower near his heart.

"Stand, lamb." The formidable creature said simply, holding out his hand for Louis to take it; a dark curl escaped down to Harry's eyes.

Louis looked up at Harry with wide eyes, and flickering his eyes down at the largelargelarge hand below him; reach out to his own.

An odd tone was included in Harry's voice, very different from how he was speaking to Killian and the guards. There was no growl or deep ferociousness. This tone was almost vulnerable, and despondent. His eyes were still a blood storm, but somehow it seemed as though Louis was in the eye of the hurricane.

Hesitantly and slowly, Louis held up his own hand and widened his eyes even more at the size difference. His hand seemed like a simple twig and Harry's a branch. Louis wrapped his hand around two thick fingers and lifted himself up. The claws seemed to grow smaller and when he did so.

The alpha was much taller than the omega, nature and power being factors. It was like the skyscraper meets the street lamp post. Louis had to tilt his head up in order to make eye contact now.

Harry then knelt down on one knee to match up their faces, his eyes examining Louis' face fast but carefully. Cautiously. Louis dared not to breathe too much because this was far from his comfort zone, like one exhale of breath would trigger a tornado.

Harry watched him curiously before saying in a low voice. "Come closer, omega."

"I'm fine here." Louis says back, his eyes hard and stubborn.

"I won't hurt you, Louis. I need to examine your wound." Harry says, his claws digging deep in his own hands.

Louis bit his bottom lip bitterly. "I doubt that statement, my king."

Harry watched Louis dig his teeth in his lip lightly, causing his eyebrows to furrow and pulse to quicken once again. The storm in his eyes hitting the ocean.

"Don't," Harry breathed as he clenched his fist tighter, "bite your lip, omega. Not around me."

Louis obliged immediately, hearing the fire light up in Harry's voice and the heat transfer in his stomach from being called omega by the alpha.

Harry looked at Louis and his thumb hovered over the wound, though he had no intention of carrying his actions without the consent of his omega. His voice carried to their host's ears in a haunting timbre. "May I come closer?"

Confused by the king's sudden change of tone, Louis was bewildered from the question; it gave him choice, power. Why would Harry ask him that then?

With a slight nod, Harry did so immediately. Their faces were close enough that even a cloud could be trapped.

And then there was so much.

Too much.

It started from Harry brushing a strand of Louis' hair away from his eyes, softly and carefully. Then his hand trails to the top of his head and back, as though he was brushing his hair with his fingers. It was soothing, to say the least, but venomous.

One hand in his hair and the other on his back, rubbing the curve with a cold finger, not daring to get too high or too low. So soft, but at the same time cryptic. It was like allowing a time bomb put you to sleep, the ticking growing louder with each second that passes by.

Small little whispered of praise on how patient Louis is being and how his smell is delightful makes Louis' head hazy and whole body a puddle in Harry's arms.

Involuntarily and without any consciousness, Louis leans into the touch, allows himself to put weight on Harry's bare chest. Then a little sound is borne low in his throat and with a sudden realization stricken inside his head, Louis realises he's purring.

Harry uses a finger to tilt Louis' head left a little, the gash on his face now in full sight; out and vulnerable.

"Hold still, my lamb. This will hurt if you don't hold still." Harry says softly and it was almost comforting, before he lift a finger and Louis almost screeches.

Hovering over the tip of his nail were gold flakes. They seemed to be lively and almost with a heart beat, like multiple sparks of the strike of the match come to life. The gold flakes were then pointed towards Louis wound, as though they were the bullets and Harry's finger the gun.

With one flick of his pointer finger, the gold flakes rushed to Louis' wound, rushing in and taking as much space inside the torn skin as possible. Soon the dried blood was no longer to be seen, only a drop of gold; which appeared to be a tear of the sun itself.

It felt heated and sharp, the gold flakes did. Like a small strike of lightening just hit a side of Louis' face. He could hear his own heartbeat for a moment, probably coming from the shock. His nose smelled only blood for a minute, and eyes saw stars. It seemed as though whatever spell that was stunned Louis senses for a moment, before returning them fresh.

"There you are," Harry's voice is raw, guttural and tantalizing all at once. "I believe it is fixed." As the alpha speaks, his lips (painfully) lightly hover and graze over the fixed wound, a hot breath on Louis's skin feels like butter on a black street top in summer.

Louis touched the skin where the scar should be, but felt nothing than his ordinary cheek instead of a cut. Sudden realization hit Louis harder than the winged stallion.

"You healed me," Louis states obviously, but his voice blanketed with surprise.

"Yes, it appears so." Harry matched his blunt tone with Louis, not as mocking but more confirming.

"Why?" Louis asks with his eyebrows furrowed, a hint of endearment in his eyes.

"Would you rather I give you your wound back?" Harry furrowed his eyebrows in genuine confusion, as though he actually thought Louis would rather have the mark.

"No, no. I just.... didn't expect it." The corners of Louis' mouth flickered up in a weak smile, watching how readable the alpha's face became, and how the king nodded ever so slightly. And for the first time, Louis saw something else other then an animalistic desire in Harry. An actual light behind the ashes that covered his disposition.

"Though, I don't believe you expect me to say thank you," Louis says, breathless from before. His heart beating ten times faster and cheeks burning hotter than a million suns.

As anticipated, making Louis almost whine in protest, Harry jerks away (Louis misses the warmth of his skin almost instantly) and stands. "I do not. You don't thank the criminal who burns your village and offers you a home."

Louis stayed silent, another wave of shock and confusion washing over him. Unpredictable is what the king is wearing today, and a whole sheet of proudness.

And his eyes...

The night before they were balls of demonic ink, lost in an abyss of darkness; but now a readable red. Almost, human.

The sound of harsh neighing was to be heard again, startling Louis at once. The Pegasus rushing towards them was still a hyper ball of energy, ignoring Harry and coming towards the omega like the stallion it was without its strong wings.

It's long tongue had sharp fibers which made the whole organ a rough surface. The aggressive way it rushed towards Louis and sniffed his neck and face again was almost endearing, and made the omega chuckle from the way its huffs were playful and eager; reminding Louis of the Lowland dogs.

"Do not move much, the aurum Pegasus is not greeting you. Its capturing your scent and taste to see if you would make a proper meal when you're a corpse." Harry says behind Louis, making the boy freeze.

Harry stepped behind Louis and the familiar heat was back on Louis' skin. The alpha took his arm and and gently lifted his hand up, the Pegasus looking at it with shiny eyes in return.

"The thing with aurum Pegasus' is that they are very fearful. And creatures do a lot of horrid things when they are afraid. You have to show the Pegasus you are worthy of its trust." Harry spoke slowly, each word huffed out was added heat to on Louis' neck. He could feel the alpha almost rest his chin on his shoulder, but it was only grazing.

Sounds familiar, Louis thought mentally to himself, but didn't see how the ears of Harry peeked up as the thought arose.

"They have the most sensitive bodies of all creatures. One wrong move, or one wrong hit, they will feel it the most." Harry guided Louis' hand in front of the Pegasus' nose, slowly and gently.

Louis furrowed his eyebrows, not seeing at first how raising a hand near the Pegasus' muzzle was going to make any difference. Harry then got his other hand and tilted Louis' chin upward to connect the omegas eyes with the Pegasus'. Blue eyes staring hardly at the black beady ones. And then the Pegasus didn't leap on Louis, neither did it lick him. It simply stared at Louis and inclined it head down.

It's gleaming gold coat was even more spectacular than before, now a glowing sun. It's ears immediately perked up and wings collected as much wind as they could.

Louis laughed in awe and stared at the Pegasus with deep respect. It embodied magnificence and magic, all at once. He looked behind him with the bright smile and Harry's eyes were still staring directly at him, wildly curious.

"I think it likes me now," Louis says with beaming eyes that were brighter than the moon.

"Yes, it does." Harry agrees, looking at Louis still with an unreadable expression.

"Even more than you?" Louis raises an eyebrow when the Pegasus allows him to run a hand through its golden hair, droning in delight. Louis scratched behind its ears softly with his nails, and the Pegasus closed its eyes as though they were heavy, and the droning continued.

"Let us not get ahead of ourselves, Lamb," Harry says while walking to the Pegasus' side. "Kneel." He whispers to the creature.

Almost immediately the winged stallion is put to heal and bows its head down, its back is slanted and lowered. The wings are hovering over the blades of grass, and golden color of its fur was dulled by the shadow of a cloud covering the sun.

"It's quite fond of you," said Harry when mounting on top of the creature without any sign of hardship. "I reckon it might let you ride it now."

Harry is on the saddle of the Pegasus, his hands gripping on the leather steerings. He looks almost unreal, for a moment; like a hero in some story book. His hair was blowing with the direction of the wind, and each muscle highlighted by the orange sunlight. He looked down and held out his hand to the omega,

"Mount, Louis."

Louis, much to Harry's surprise, wasn't hesitant to hold his hand now. Instead of modestly grabbing onto him in a distrustful manner, Louis took the hand with pride and a smile and swung his leg over the Pegasus. It caught the king almost off guard, by the way the small hand felt warm against his. And how the grip was tight and trusting, full of trust.

It was so much different than before. This was not hesitant, or shaking. Not cold nor forced, just a whole new feeling to the alpha.

"I think I might be more excited than the Pegasus," Louis squealed, hearing the Pegasus make a noise of protest after the sentence was to be said.

What Louis didn't see were Harry's eyes being a deep red, like the bloodshed from a massacre.

"Comfortable, omega?"

"I think so." Louis states, still adjusting himself on the silky saddle.

"Then hold on, lamb, many fall on their first ride." Harry says before raising his hand and striking the Pegasus to lift.

"Wha- SLOW DOWN!" Louis screams, as soon as his stomach flutters.

Without warning, wings larger than any creatures in Stellarum flapped open on either side of the pair, Louis just had time to wrap his arms around Harry's waist tightly before he saw the grass become smaller and smaller. It was nothing like a normal Pegasus ride, no. This aurum Pegasus was far more aggressive and swift. It's golden coat turned into a melancholy night black, causing the omega to gasp in surprise.

The wings were no longer an innocent white, but dark like ink falling into white paint. It was not a wholesome sable either, but eerie and wicked. The Pegasus' wings beat through the air violently and sounded as loud as a train engine. Louis closed his eyes because the tilting felt as though he could fall of any minute now.

The constant dipping and lifting of its wings was borderline terrifying, and the trail of black feathers it left behind could resemble clumps of ashes. Louis felt himself tighten his grip around Harry, and duck his head down against he alpha's back to avoid the constant rush of hair in his face.

It felt more dark than fun in an instant, the smell of hunger and thirst for a heartbeat was more constant in the air. The innocence of the wind was taken over by the greed of speed and agility.

Louis now felt himself rocking back and forth when the Pegasus lowered itself further down to the ground. Daring to take a look, Louis perked his head up and widened his eyes once he saw what was below him.

The Enchanted Forest. It appeared to look so foreign from the view Louis was looking at it in. The day was not young, the sun was just about to dip in the sea and say it's farewells. The last drops of sunlight were like droplets of water, and the forest a sponge; since it seemed as though all illumination was soaked up by it.

The trees that were withered had light streaks of fluorescent yellows and white golds running through the holes. Louis smiles at the memory of how in the autumn time those streaks of light were actually red and orange instead. And on winter days the floor was an eerie fog with sepia tones.

It was like the forest itself was alive, the wind being its breath and the small whispers of the creatures it's voice. A hit of nostalgia hit Louis when he smelled the fairy bread and sap of the sugar trees near the cannibalistic witch homes (who try attracting as much children as possible).

The castle seemed so far now, only a spec of irrelevancy in the background; reminding Louis of the time when he and Sam flew through the same sky to get home. It was like twisting a knife in his gut.

The waterfalls that rush down have a spectrum of minuscule rainbows washing down upon them, blanketing and hiding ancient koi fish from predators; flowing in a soft pattern until it meets the rocky slopes and sizzles slightly due to the heated stones.

The aurum Pegasus flew down at once but not without giving a harsh neigh. Louis squeaked when the hit of wind rushed through his hair, and how his body slightly lifted from the saddle; he watched Harry lean back as the Pegasus' black neck changed back to the golden color once more, the feathers now a wild forest itself, then felt a heavy thud as the four ill-assorted feet along with strong hind legs hit the ground.

Louis didn't need a hand to get to the ground now. Because there was no one as eager as him to be back here, no one. The atmosphere was still welcoming, and the magic in the air was pouring down like snowflakes.

Louis laughed when his feet connected with the forest floor. The ground was as soft as a pillow and spongiform, like walking on the foam of the waves that ride through the ocean; and as Louis put his full weight down the wet soil seemed to hug his feet and gently release them with each step.

Scent from the sucked up honeydew suckles (that the imps adore) , mixed with the aroma of decay and earth after rain, danced through the air and tickled Louis' nostrils. The drops of dew that were lying patiently on top of withered blades of grass seemed to kiss Louis' toes. The dampness would annoy some, but felt like home to Louis.

The screeches of phoenixes that soared through the sky made the omega raise up his head and smile at the birds, knowing they're running from the fairies (since they love eating fairy dust so much).

Louis turns around and sees Harry stare at him in wonder, his dark demeanor faded by the fairy dust above him; sprinkled above like a heavens gate. His hair was soft and laid in the sunset sun, but eyes fixed on the brightest sun of all.

"Harry, don't move," Louis whispered, carefully walking over to him in small steps and a mischievous glint in his eye.

Harry snapped out of his trance and furrowed his eyebrows, deep voice coming back into play and rain clouds over his head, "What a-"

"Sh," Louis hushed as he gave a toothy smile with his finger upon his pressed upon his lip. "I'm serious, don't move."

Louis reached out close to the alpha's face, invading the space between them both. Harry, in quick defense, caught the omega's hand in instinct; preventing him from getting any closer, not in the form of disgruntlement, but in confusion.

Louis rolled his eyes in response and gave Harry a gaze, assuring no harm. His hand stays a prisoner under Harry's harsh grip, but when Louis' thin fingertips manage to successfully push a strand of stray hair away from Harry's rugged face, gesturing a safe feeling; it was released almost immediately and allowed Louis to continue with his next acts.

The alpha allows it to happen and does no more moves to stop it. He only looks at the beautiful yet strange omega in front of him, his mind constantly wondering in a spiral how Louis wasn't taken aback by the blood around his mouth or the scars that dug deep inside his skin.

How yesterday the alpha was an animalistic bastard with no control over his own body, a lost parasite in an empty shell. Only gentle and curious blue eyes were there, not a fearful tropical storm.

Louis lifts a thin finger and stands up his tiptoes, above Harry's head and straight to the curved horns that protruded above the king's head. Instead of returning down with a clean finger, came a monarch butterfly; gentle and it's wings spread open.

"I think it thought your horn was a branch," Louis smiled down at it, watching how it didn't bother to fly away.

Louis reached out for Harry's hand, but frowns when the alpha turns him away.

"What are you doing, omega?" Eyes hard and face deadpanned.

"Stop talking so much and you'll see," Louis scolds and reaches out for Harry's hand again, this time more determined, "trust me." The omega finishes.

Harry feels the small hand smooth out the fist that Harry kept it in, and felt how carefully Louis covered his claws with his tanned fingers. Within a second, Louis lifts up the hand in which the butterfly was resting upon, and balances the creature on one finger; letting it crawl onto Harry's palm.

Harry waited for the thing to fly away, but only watched how it rested just as calm and tranquil; not with a care in the world. The alpha looks back at Louis and sees that the boys blue eyes were staring directly into his red ones, and a smiling expression planted upon his face.

"I'm pretty sure it likes your scent." Louis says as the monarch flutters it's wings.

Harry was lost. Last night Louis was cursing his name but now trustfully putting a butterfly into his hand. Why wasn't the omega running off? There were no guards here to stop him, no clutches or rope tying his hands or ankles together.

Instead he stands with a smile, allowing the heat of Harry's body to blanket over him.

"You aren't afraid." Harry said aloud suddenly, ignoring the butterfly's existence.

Louis' eyes shot up in a defensive manner. "Should I be?"

"Yes." Harry breathed out, his alpha voice coming out and eyes starting to burn as the smell of blood comes through his nose.

"And what of?" Louis asks softly, seeing the black ink started to gather up in Harry's eyes, little by little.

"Come here." Harry continued, having no sense of gentility, pulling the omega towards him by his waist. Letting the butterfly fly away at once.

"No, Harry." Louis swallowed thickly and shook his head, trying not to lash out to the man lost in his body once more, "Don't."

"Let me show you little lamb, let me show you what you must be afraid of." Harry's rough grip is off of Louis all at once, leaving the omega gasping and bewildered at the sudden change of voice.

The alpha is then standing in front of Louis straight and in a hurry takes off the ajar vest upon his body. Louis watches with wide eyes and a worried open mouth. Harry pins Louis' gaze like a predator willing its prey to obey, tossing his shirt aside and holding out his hand.

The sun had already set near the Siren Sea, being no flashlight for Louis. Only the eerie moonlight was thickly blanketed by the cumulus clouds above.

"Come here." Harry says, soft but deadly, eyes now hooded and sinister. "Louis, come." Harry holds out his hand, waiting to be accompanied by the omega's.

The perplexed Luna hesitantly accepts the hand, eyes glassy and pixie-like ears perked up. Harry's face was inches from his, his grim countenance a pitiless wasteland; hating the way the omega gave a slight squeeze to his hand as a reassuring crutch, before laying it still in Harry's grip.

They've been this close before. When Louis was in his forced clutches, no choice over him. But this was not like those times. Louis was vulnerable and appeared weak as his trust laid out on his sleeve. He was much smaller than Harry, more terrified and shaky; but it felt as though Harry was more nervous than he was.

Two susceptible hearts enclosed in the night, no one but whoever was above or beneath as their spectator.

"Harry, I don't und-" Louis begins, frightened at the lack of communication and the fear of the unknown washing over him. The omegas heart and brain were in a constant battle with each other on who could bring him to a panic the quickest.

Harry answered by taking the hand of Louis' he had in his grasp, guiding it to his heart. His skin is heated and rough. Louis felt each embossed scar, and every mark that was left upon the creature. He grimaces when a large cut seems to be never ending, wrapping around the alpha's waistline.

When Louis thought that was all the king wanted him to feel, Harry gripped the omega tighter and reached up to his temple. The cut there wasn't as big as the ones upon his body, nor as gasping and one that would make any normal being jump out of their skin.

It was small, and sewed perfectly. But a throbbing hell lived under that cut, and a whole tophet of a story.

The atmosphere was thick of questions and Louis wondering to himself why Harry would expose himself to him like this. The trip had gone south and the stars that hung in the night sky seemed to get more and more dull as each confession was spoken.

"When did you....-" Louis didn't want to ask the following question, too scared to know the answer that was already inside his head. "How did you get these?"

"The prisoner you saw was not the only one in the castle, omega," Harry bitterly growls, more to himself than anyone else, "many were ferocious."

Louis widened his eyes and shook his head, "Why are you telling me this?" Sadness tracing his voice rather than fear. His eyes not leaving Harry's, even if it means watching the blood drip from Harry's bleeding lips.

The alpha doesn't answer immediately, just lets out another longhorn growl due to the throbbing of venom in his temple. His claws growing more and eyes a wild and indistinguishable black.

"You're the said-to-be omega," Harry's voice now a indictable, sinister, low, "I thought it would make you afraid."

Louis furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, his heart and pumped on the feeling of bewilderment and knot in his stomach had returned to bite, nip, and chew on his nerves.

"You want me to be afraid?" Louis searches his eyes for any ounce, gram, of compassion.

"Say you are..." Harry breathes violently, "Say you are afraid of me."

"You brought me here to scare me, to prove something to yourself? With all due respect my king," the sarcasm in Louis' voice is bitter with sudden realization, "I am not the one looking like a fool here."

Harry's grips on Louis' shoulders grew tight and terrifying, each squeeze a threat and each release a surrender; heated exhales of breath being puffed out on Louis' shoulder.

Louis shaking, reached to alpha's cheek, staring at him with cautious eyes. "I'm not afraid of you, Harry. But terrified of the man you prove yourself as." Louis says, genuinely, yet his tone lost.

Harry's eyes flash a swift green, causing Louis to intake a sharp breath as the swipe of emerald was shining brighter than the sky above. For a brief second, Louis didn't see the sharp teeth, nor the claws. The blood on the king's lips seemed to be meaningless, and harsh cuts on his face irrelevant. Harry appeared to be human for that moment, real.

The rough feeling on Harry's temple then was to be felt inside the alpha's body. Turning into a sharp pang, like a dagger was twisting into the side of him. The alpha reached on the cut and growled lowly, trying his best not to reveal a blood curling roar.

"You will be under my supervision from now on." Harry muttered darkly, his eyes returning to a crimson red. "And sleep in my bed, tonight."

All at once, the atmosphere around Louis clears from a rough fog to sparks of gold and pink. His head sees the wisps of pleasure and safety, flickering life inside him. He felt himself melt inside Harry's hands.

Startling him further, the Alpha stalks his face even closer, each huff of breath causing the omegas heart to do a somersault. The heat from Harry's body was cloaking over the Luna as a furnace.

"Harry-" Louis shook his head, but the alpha didn't let the omega deny him or finish.

"You will. I want to see you, today, tomorrow, and after." Harry growled like his life depended on it, "I will have you. And taste in between your legs during your heat, my little lamb," Harry's younger grazed across the mark on Louis' skin which he had chosen to mark. "Mine."

The vermillion eyes Louis saw dragged him back to reality. "Harry, let me go."

Harry smothered a noise that leapt up his throat and seized the moment as it was his. The gown the omega wore rose up to reveal tanned ankles and Harry felt a thirst and a sudden starve to taste. Teeth aching to bite and claim. He was addicted to it right there in the first.

But something had also entered Harry's consciousness. He released Louis so suddenly that the boy stumbled aback. Hair wild and lips bitten, Harry clenched his hand into a tight, calloused fist.

Instinctively, Harry takes his face inches away from the omega, still gripping the boy's thin wrist in only two, thick fingers with his other hand. Louis - who was still rigid and frozen, stares up at him with startled and unexpected eyes along with slight ajar lips that release little puffs of air.

It's so still for a moment that Harry can make out the boy's fast heartbeat.

"I will inform the overlooking guards to assign your whereabouts and schedule to me, you will now be under my eyes, lamb." Harry struggled to groan out, trying to contain himself from pouncing on the omega.

Louis stood there breathless, only an involuntary nod to be his reaction.

And although that enclosed the night, as they rode off into the night with their aurum Pegasus, this was not even the beginning of the end.

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	25. Bumfuzzle and Humans

LOUIS KNEW HE Shouldn't be paying attention to the screams that were spewing down the hall from the dining room. But it wasn't his fault at all-really. The sound waves were bursting into his ears like a dragons roar ( _louder than any banging of a drum, and any siren of the sea._ )

But Louis definitely knew he should be paying attention to what the Brownie across from him was looking at-or staring at, perhaps- very timidly.

The very small humanoid creature had eyes as round (and rather as large) as a disk. Only that the lens of their roundroundround eyes were protruding; like droplets of water. This one had eyes as brown as his hood. Although his ears were covered by the cloth upon his head, large ears that resembled a giant's poked through and embossed the coffee fabric.

Small and tawny hands were grasping a workout broom with the letters 'B' and two lazy 'Z's engraved in sloppy handwriting minutes onto the wood. The cleaning supply seemed to be larger than the creature itself, for it could not be any taller than a solid four foot.

As soon as Louis looked back at the Brownie, he looked away, squealing a little and started to sweep and swap the same area of wood floor he had been working on for the past hour or so. He seemed to keep repeating that action whenever Louis caught his gaze.

Louis narrowed his eyes and carefully looked away, giving a little side eye and started to sweep his section of the floor; pretending to not pay any attention to the little thing.

But when the Brownie stopped his sweeping to look at Louis once again; the omega looked back in one swift motion, catching him in the act.

"Ah ha! You were staring at me!" Louis accused, pointing to the critter with a satisfied smile.

The creature shrieked before dropping the broom and hiding his big face in his burnt sienna cloak; failing when the small clothing could barley hide his buff nose.

"Bumfuzzle was not staring at Queen Louis, no no, Bumfuzzle was only trying to greet Queen Louis," the Brownie whispered in a high-pitched voice, shaking his head before squaring his little legs down to reach the fallen broom.

"Er - who is Bumfuzzle," asked Louis in an amused tone, entertained by the way the tan creatures skin flushes a pink.

"This," the Brownie points a fat, short finger to his own chest, "This is Bumfuzzle."

"Ah," Louis stated in mock understanding, nodding his head up and down, "that makes much more sense, thank you for clearing that up. Well, er, Bumfuzzle, it is nice to meet you."

The omega extends his right hand forward, making the Brownie squeal and flinch back. Eyes looking glossy and nose sniffling sharply. Louis raises an eyebrow in confusion, not understanding what he had done wrong or if he had offended old Bumfuzzle; but his bewilderment was cleared up when the small humanoid came forward and gazed at Louis' pale hand in wonder.

Bumfuzzle's eyes looked at Louis, then at the hand, and then back at Louis, then back to the hand.

Instead of shaking it, Bumfuzzle let his sweaty nose (which was covered in mysterious red and black dots-by the way) and connected it with the hand gracefully; sniffing generously for a while before backing away.

"Alright then." Louis whispered to himself, grimacing when his once dry hand was covered in a sheer sheet of oil and sweat.

"Mister Queen Luna!" said the creature in a high-pitched voice Louis was sure would carry down the stairs. "So long has Bumfuzzle wanted to meet you, your majesty . . . Such an honor it is. . Very humble. . . Bumfuzzle is."

"Well why didn't you just say so?" Louis smiled with his teeth, before pulling up a chair and tossed his broom aside to pull up another chair for his newly found friend.

Louis sat down happily and stared at the Brownie who remained standing, eyes wide and mouth agape.

"You can sit down," said Louis politely, gesturing at the chair.

And if Louis thought that the screams of Harry's tortured prisoners was bad, he had not heard Bumfuzzle crying. Because as soon as he spoke those four words, the Brownie let out waterfalls of tears and sobs.

"B-b-b-Bumfuzzle, S-sit d-down?!" he wailed and wailed. "Do not. . . B-b. . believe. ."

"I'm sorry," Louis threw his hands up in surrender and surprise, "I didn't mean to offend you or anything, you don't have to -"

"Offend Bumfuzzle?!" choked the Brownie. "Bumfuzzle has never been asked to sit like an alpha! Like a Royal!"

Now that his nose was leaking just a tad, Louis could confirm that Bumfuzzle looked like a failed doppelgänger of a troll. With eyes wild and puffy, and brown cloak giving him an odd shadow line over the top half of his face.

"Of course you deserve to sit, not only an alpha or a royal should be able to do such a task," said Louis, trying to hush the creature up.

Bumfuzzle shook his head and then raised a small, pitiful fist towards his head and started hitting himself with all his might; disgusting sounds of pain spewing out each blow the Brownie gave himself. "Bad Bumfuzzle! Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad,-"

"Are you mad?" Louis seethed, running a hand through his hair stressfully before grabbing the creatures fists to stop him from hurting himself. "What- what were you doing?"

"Bumfuzzle had to punish himself, Mister Queen Luna," said the Brownie, "Bumfuzzle spoke to you. . . ."

"And that's . . . Bad?" Louis questioned, his eyebrows furrowing together.

"Bumfuzzle speaks only to Master. . . . Master says Bumfuzzle speaks too much.. much too much and too much too much-" the Brownie was getting breathless and blue, forgetting to take an inhale of oxygen until Louis interrupted him.

"Bumfuzzle," Louis put two hands on the humanoid's shoulders, "breathe."

The Brownie took as much air through his nose as his lungs allowed him to,

"Um," Louis said, seeing how Bumfuzzle didn't move and kept the air inside him, "you can exhale now, Fuz."

Bumfuzzle let out a rotten stench along with the air he was collecting in his unhygienic mouth, making Louis cringe but still smile to comfort the thing.

"See? Everything's alright. No ones going to hurt you for talking to me," Louis told him, trying to ignore the screams that started up again across the hall, making the omegas blood boil.

Bumfuzzle shuddered. "Oh, no, Mister Queen Luna-,"

"Louis, call me Louis," the omega was determined to relax the nerves of this creature.

But the Brownie didn't pay any attention and was caught up in his own world of anxiety and worries. " . . . Bumfuzzle will have to punish himself in the extreme for talking to the Luna. Bumfuzzle will have to polish the spit of the golems!" The Brownie wailed.

"I don't think that's possible, to be quite honest with you." Louis offers but only gets tears in response, the humanoid blows his nose in his cloak.

"Master is going to make Bumfuzzle wipe the dragon's den with his toothbrush!" The helpless creature sobs.

"Explains the breath situation," Louis mutters to himself but then just cradles the Brownie's head a little, "You'll be alright, I won't let Har- uh, Master hurt you, alright?"

But that only made him cry harder than before, this time in gratitude.

"Mister Queen Luna wants to help Bumfuzzle . . . You truly are the savior. . . . the great!"

"The mutt is not that great. . . Eyes disproportionate. . . smells like a slaughterhouse," the melancholy elf, Mingus, mutters from the corner of the room, his croaky voice

"Why Mingus, I am a married man, try not to flirt too much." Louis states as he raises the hand with his wedding ring.

"Rot. . . with the grim reaper. . in a pit. . . that is on fire. . ." Mingus says as he scurries off like a slug out of the room and into the hall with his mop.

The grin was quickly wiped off of Louis' face as soon as he hears a large door slam, shaking the Brownie blow him and also his skeleton. He could feel his heart beating through his ears and blood rushing like a waterfall when the screams that were once loud were just moans of misery and pleads of mercy.

"Master doesn't like prisoners, Mister Queen Luna," Bumfuzzle whispers, his ears closing a little in fear and eyes lowering down.

"No, he doesn't," Louis whispers back, agreeing, his eyebrows furrowed in anger and he quickly stands up to grab his broom again.

Louis looks through the door, waiting for Harry's figure to appear any minute now. But he didn't even need to see the alpha when he hears powerful sounding footsteps, each tap impacted with ability and wealth; along with the musky scent of dominance that the omega could smell miles away.

But this time, the scent wasn't just the alpha. It was a rusty aroma, the smell is a shriveled, pungent, metallic scent. Traces of the redolence seemed to be outdated, as it takes on a violent-like pungency that dares to smother your senses and throw your brain off track.

To Louis' nose, the scent had certain characteristics, almost like it was alive. The copper fragrance was surely running through someone's veins and pumping a heart once. Once. And if terror had a smell, this was it.

The silhouette of the alpha hovered through the ledge of the door's opening to the Dining Room, not alone but accompanied with another shadow; perfume insignificant compared to the dominant.

The omega saw him standing next to a beta, most likely a guard; discussing what seems to be something of great importance from the solid looks upon their faces. Louis noticed how Harry was wearing a black shirt which was ripped from the front and sides; revealing toned, pale skin scattered in ink and fresh scratches.

The back was tight but couldn't hide the muscles of the alpha, which was flexing involuntarily and made Louis wonder why there were nail marks trailing down his spine. The younger boy bit his lip as the jaw clenching dominant was talking slow, and each word falling out of his mouth was thought out and elongated.

The broom in Louis' hand then tapped against the hinge of the door, making the omega whimper in surprise (which echoed through the halls sinfully) and was surely not going to be gone unnoticed.

Harry's head snapped towards his omega and connected his blown red eyes with curious blues. Harry had a scowl dug into his face and another unreadable emotion underneath the ash ring around his iris. And as soon as loud footsteps were to be heard again.

"You should probably go." Louis told Bumfuzzle as soon as he heard the alpha making his way to the room the omega was in.

The Brownie was to frozen in fear to say anything, or even give a simple not. He just let out a squeal and scurried off to the other exit, muttering something along the lines of "I want to live, I want to live!"

The beta just stalked off understandably, knowing better than to interrupt an Alpha's intention with his omega, because the results of doing so always ends up quite. . . Messy.

"Harry?" Louis says in a query tone, as he hears a low growl in front of him and looked up to search the tall man's face. Louis stops his movements when he sees the dominant above him. Harry's pupils are blown wide (a ring of red is left) while his wild hair is disheveled and messy; his black shirt is riding up just enough for the omega to see a V shadow down the alpha's torso.

Harry towered over Louis, his eyes hard and facial expression set into a deep frown. Almost angry, almost. His two hands grabbed at his hips as Louis was slammed against the door, which was quite large and made an immense noise when being shut so carelessly.

Louis took no notice to the noise, Harry's growls were louder than any slam. The omega looked up at his husband, tranquil and innocent. "Hello."

Harry let out a inhuman noise, perhaps a snarl of anger being smothered like a cigarette's residue. "What the hell are you doing lurking out without surveillance?!"

Louis groaned slightly at the rough surface on his backside. "I lurk daily, it's a habit of mine."

"I can see that, you will leave that habit behind with your curiosity today." Harry warned in a gruff manner, his warning sounding more like a threat than anything else. "I won't have you wander about around here, not alone."

Louis doesn't pay any attention to what the alpha had just said, he only concentrated on how the metallic smell of blood whisks away into his senses, making him uncomfortable and reminding him what he needed to say.

"I heard the screaming, again." And although Harry has Louis pinned to the wall by just his hips, the omega has the alpha pinned down with his confident and daring eyes; sinfully hooded when he has his head tilted down in a faux submissive manner. "Louder than before."

Harry clenches his jaw, the prominent line becoming threateningly sharper than any shard of glass. "That does not concern you, omega."

"I am Luna here as well, Alpha" Louis said bitterly, "I believe whatever happens to the citizens of Stellarum concerns me more than anyone."

"Speak carefully, lamb." Harry murmurs sinisterly. "Queen you shall be," Harry's grip in Louis hips becomes much more tight and desperate, "until there comes another."

Louis shook his head, "and while I have that title, I have the right to know. What did he do, the prisoner?"

Harry's eyes search and rake the omegas body for a second, as though he was looking for something in him and couldn't find even a trace of it. The scowl on Louis' face should be a sin, the way he looks so innocent and sexy had to be an illusion. All the alpha could smell was sweet honeydew and vanilla.

Fuck.

Harry inhales deeply and growls again, running his hands down Louis' exposed thighs, which were thick and smooth; and that only made the alpha lose sight even more.

"You smell sweet," Harry whispers. Louis mewls in a hush and knees give up at the alpha voice Harry used; and he would have fallen to the floor if Harry hadn't gripped his hips tightly to hold him up. "My delicious omega, I am going to have fun with you." Louis' mind starts to drift as his omega instincts take over and he bares his neck in ways to ease the alpha. Harry smirks and starts inhaling the scent his omega emitted, nosing him.

The fact that there is clothing on Louis makes Harry see red. The fact that Harry cant see tan skin underneath his body makes his alpha roar with impatience and lust. Louis isn't moaning and begging as Harry's cock dig deep into his hole; legs spread and eager for more. He isn't screaming Harry's name as he's being bitten and marked and claimed. He isn't pregnant with Harry's child.

Harry shakes his head, wanting nothing more than to take the omega right here and now.

"Harr-" Louis started but a whimper made his way up instead. "Wha-what did the pris-prisoner d-do?"

Harry lifted his head to make contact with his omega again. Knowing very well that his heat was approaching, and soon his head will be in between his thighs instead; tasting instead of the scent teasing him to death. The skin bruised and littered with marks of his choosing.

"Stole," Harry nipped a bit of Louis' skin, trying to contain himself from breaking the skin and sinking his teeth in; wanting to show every alpha the mark he made on his omega. "A magic wand."

Louis shook his head in disbelief, "all this for a wand? Harry, you have to let him go, he deserves a life."

This proposition coming from Louis was rich. Harry even smirked a little at the thought of that, dimples digging in deeper than the scars in his face. "I believe cannot allow that."

Louis didn't even flinch when Harry rakes his claws through his feathery hair, "And why is that? Harry, it isn't very much worth it, he's just a mergunt!"

The alpha lifts one of his hands then, the movement causing Louis to cringe almost instantly. As he flinches, Harry frowns slightly-almost instantly to be quite honest-before ignoring the last action the omega had committed; continuing to graze a finger across Louis' cheek, ever-so-slightly.

Once there, the finger turns to a whole hand and it cradles Louis' cheek, getting used to the warmth the omega emits; the heel of his hand hovering under Louis' chin, as Harry strokes his thumb across Louis' sharp cheekbone.

"Not so much that he stole the wand, lamb, he stole what is mine. Everyone knows not to steal from me." Harry seems to be so sure.

"Actually, no, they don't." Louis sourly risks.

"They will when they discover the body." Harry flicks a stay hair away from Louis' face.

"Harry!" Louis knew he sounded pathetic and how body was already so vulnerable.

"Don't raise," Harry removed his hands from Louis' face and immediately pinned him against the rough wall by his shoulders, his eyes getting oddly red with the black rim around them; like the night of the prisoner attack. "your voice at your alpha again, Louis."

Louis hooded his eyes and clenched his fists, trying not to do anything remotely idiotic or something he would regret later.

"Answer me when I speak to you, Lamb." Harry didn't care how his voice went down to a terrifying timbre. "Do you understand?"

"Yes." Louis swallowed his pride, and tried to blanket his ill-disposed voice.

"You will stay here." Without warning, a warm breath in his ear makes the omega shiver. "I don't want you looking at strange alphas until we are mated." Louis felt goosebumps rising as possessive arms wrap around him from behind.

"Maids will be sent for your bath. There is a dinner at noon, and I expect you to attend by my side, sitting next to me. There are some who want to get to know you, lamb."

"They should get in line, then." Louis couldn't contain himself.

"Yes," Harry whispered before removing his body from Louis', turning his heel, and walking off to an exit, not before saying in his alpha voice, "they should."

And with that, the alpha was gone. Only to leave Louis with a tightened fist that contained a simple, golden key. The same key Harry had kept in his pocket and didn't seem to notice that it was missing from the list roaring inside his head.

As soon as footsteps were to be no longer heard, Louis quickly walked out of the room and straight into the direction Harry had came from; following the scent of blood and terror. But not without grabbing a goblet filled with water, a small, pitiful token to show Louis' compassion and empathy.

A trail of blood was sloppily lined down onto the wood, as though it was an actual design of the floors. Louis was careful not to step into any part of it, not wanting to get caught or leave his own trail the slightest.

The door was filled with more scratched and nail marks than Harry's back. It was rugged and the wood was tethered, as though it was as fragile as blades of grass, if not more. Walls that had chipped pain were curled and smelling of thick death and banshees.

Louis pinched his nose with his other hand, trying not to sniff as much of the poisoned air as much as possible. The creaking floorboards were screaming for the omega to turn back, but when he stuck the key in the lock hole, that was a confirmation that there was no turning back now.

Louis heard a small click erupt from the doorknob, and an eerie green light came out out of the room. Louis gulped before shuddering when the bloody smell washed over his senses like a typhoon.

Louis pushed the door open when taking one last inhale of clean enough air.

Louis coughed as soon as he entered the horrific room, his ears hearing the grunts of the man hanging from his wrists; this time his wrists were blues and purples instead of a fleshy red. The light illuminated his face, giving Louis a good enough look to know it was a human.

Louis widened his eyes, he had never met a human before. Many died off of disease or the war; and those who survived both barley made it through cyclops attack and hungry cockatrices who were just aching for the meat between their bones.

His shaggy hair fell over his shoulders, and skin smelled of oak. Small freckles were scattered upon his nose and journeyed through his cheeks as well. The gentle eyelids were veiny, each one looking like a small lighting strike.

Louis saw how his breaths were even, and how his chest puffed in and out harshly, and one inhale that was too much for his lungs caused him to shake out in stuttering coughs; spurting out blood.

Louis' curious blues trailed over the humans body, looking at his arms and how they contained enough energy to twitch when being touched. But Louis regrets doing so because the human's eye lids shoot up, revealing gentle brown eyes which were bloodshot and tired.

Much to the omega's surprise, the Brown Eyes Human laughed,

"He sent you to finish the job, eh?" His accent was foreign, thick and almost like he was drunk. But his voice was hoarse and worn out, Louis knew it was from the constant screaming and dehydration

"O-oh no," Louis assured, still shocked but managing to lift up the goblet to the human's lips, "here, drink, it's water."

"Shit," The Human moaned gratefully, groaning in delight when the cool liquid rushed down his throat. "God, that no food for weeks and water tastes like a meal."

Louis lets out a melancholy laugh, "Yeah, tell me about it."

Brown Eyes drinks from the cup till there is no water left to run down his throats, his needed breaths for air are ignored; he thirst for hydration overpowering any other bodily function.

"I couldn't let this continue, it's inhumane." Louis mumbles to himself, not knowing if he was talking to the human or himself. He hurried off to the lever that had the chains high, spinning it to lower the large man to the floor.

The prisoner fell down with a heavy thump, making Louis cringe and swiftly scurry towards him apologetically, "Sorry, I'm worried Harry'll come back, I need you out of here as soon as possible."

"I couldn't agree more," the man breathed out, groaning in pleasure mixed with pain when Louis unlocks his handcuffs with the golden key in his hands, sighing sharply as he feels the blood rushing through them again. "But now I fear the beast will turn his wrath to you."

Louis tried as hard as he could to not believe that statement, but by the way his heart was beating like a rabbits, he knew that was the undeniable truth. "Even if that's true, I'm willing to take the price of it. He wouldn't hurt me."

The lie was as bitter as the smell of the air.

He gave an odd smile to Louis, a thankful one and it quickly disappeared, "Come with me, we can run away together. I know a safe area away from here, away from magic. The beast will kill you if he finds out about this."

Louis' heart leaped, he bit his lip because shit this offer was too tempting. A land without magic. A land without people constantly taking advantage of a power so great it should only belong to the universe. He could live a life, a proper one.

But the selfish part of him is muffled down by the roars of Louis' selflessness. The thoughts of those he loved being left behind was more disgusting than the thoughts of living a free life.

The omega just looked at the human and shook his head, "No, I made a deal with Harry. My life for my family's. I don't know what he would do to them if I come with you. He won't hurt me if I stay," Louis repeated, trying to convince himself more than anyone.

The human widened his eyes in surprise, and got up with a struggle; Louis not hesitating to come to his aid and helping him. Although his back was filled with scars and face with wounds, the look of pity dug deeper than any cut.

"Leave through the left wing, there is no surveillance or elves there, but be careful to not wake any Brownies." Louis warns, his eyes bright.

"Thank you," the Brown Eyes says, "all I can do is wish you luck."

"And I you," Louis weakly smiles, "now go."

And with that, quiet yet swift footsteps drug away to the direction Louis had pointed towards. Leaving the omega to run away on his own, adrenaline replacing the blood rushing through his veins. But not without one thought in his head,

'What did Harry do with Sam?'

The omega goes back in the room he was assigned in and waited for the maids to come as the alpha had said, feeling a rush of relief and a weight being lifted from his shoulders when he realized the prisoner was now liberated from the horrid conditions he was kept in.

It felt as though Louis was a little more free as well.

A little.

.  
.  
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	26. Piggyback Rides and Heat

"THIS IS ALL TRULY Unnecessary," Louis muttered under his breath for what seemed like the millionth time, gripping the towel around his body as he ducked his head behind a large dragon statue in the hall; watching the woman elves search for him.

"My Luna, we won't look, we promise! We just need to bathe you!" One of them yell out, her pointy ears risen and chestnut hair scattered from the constant

"Yes, my Luna, we also need to make sure you dress appropriately for the event!" Another stated in a pleading voice, her tone high.

"And wash you!" Pointy ears added.

"Yes, and wash you!" Pitchy voice agreed.

Louis groaned silently, putting his hand over his mouth so he doesn't make any noise further to attract the elves. But what he didn't realize is how dusty the statue was, a layer of the pillowy bacteria blanketing over it, mischievously making its way up Louis' nose and triggering him to let out a sneeze.

"Ah. . . . ah. . ." Louis curses at himself for not bothering to be more quiet, but the feeling of him exploding wouldn't go away.

"Maybe he isn't here, Iskra." The elf with bubblegum pink eyes wondered.

"Oh, Ella, we lost the queen!" The pitchy voice, Iskra, wailed.

"It's not out fault, he is quite small!" Ella reasoned.

Louis furrowed his eyebrows at that.

"The king will kill us if we tell him we lost his only ma-" Pitchy voice squealed, but unable to finish her sentence when Louis cut her off.

"Achoo!" Louis squeezes his eyes shut and scrunched his nose, groaning right after when he realized his cover is most likely blown. The small noise makes both female elves gasp and widen their eyes.

But lucky for Louis, elves weren't the most brightest; and these ones didn't even bother to look around.

("Iskra, did you sneeze?"

"I don't think so, did you, Ella?"

"Maybe, I do sneeze when I get stressed."

"Oh honey, I told you to take a shot of basilisk snot for that condition,"

"But basilisk snot tastes like. . . snot.")

The omega reminds himself to honor this dragon statue after he is done hiding. It was rather large and hid his small figure perfectly. Louis pushes himself against the wall, hoping the two maids would leave before he had to go to the bathroom.

To his dismay, the Luna heard a quick buzzing sound swoop into his ears. A small fly with small, tennis ball-like eyes (that were much too big for its head) and thin legs plopped itself onto the wall next to him. It's wings continuing to flap vigorously.

"Go away," Louis whispered to bug.

The fly continued to buzz around and now fly in circles around Louis' head.

"Shoo, or I'll feed you to the Cerberus." The omega threatens pathetically, but succeeding when the noisy insect was not be heard anymore; for sure to be flown off to another area in the castle.

("Oh Iskra, this is all your fault!"

"How is this my fault, Ella?"

"You scared away the Luna when you told him to strip naked so you can wash his underarms!"

"Is it a crime to be honest!?"

"Any word coming out of your mouth should be a crime, you soggy crumpet."

"Ella,")

"Holy shit," Louis groaned at the constant bickering of the elves quietly, wanting the, to leave instead of arguing so he could quickly be out of their sight.

"Tell me about it," A husky voice startled Louis, enough to make the boy let out an inhuman squeak (which the elves did not notice since they were too caught up in their own world). "Elves," the voice scoffs sarcastically, "amirite?"

"Killian," Louis groaned quietly and his heart still beating out of shock as he sees the grin of the alpha. He too was hiding behind the same statue as Louis, trying to keep his long legs hidden.

"At your service, My Queen," Killian bowed his head and kept his voice in a light whisper.

"H-h-how? How are you?" Louis looked all over the place like that will help him find the answer he was looking for, "Where'd you come from!?" Louis almost wanted to shout, but pathetically angrily said it in a hush; making the alpha smile.

"My favorite thing to shape shift into is a fly so I can eavesdrop, it's very entertaining to be honest," Killian replied with a toothy smile, Louis rolling his eyes in response when realizing this oaf was the fly.

The omega slapped his hand onto the alphas mouth, motioning a 'sh'.

"So, who are we hiding from?" Killian's voice was muffled behind Louis' small hand.

"We," Louis exaggerates with a finger, "are not hiding from anyone. I, however, do not wish for strangers to see me nude." Louis nodded his head towards the eleven.

"So are you saying you're completely naked under that towel?" Killian's narrowed his eyes as though Louis was commuting a crime.

"Possibly." The omega answered in a small voice.

"You imbecile," Killian sighed, before flicking Louis' head.

"Ow," Louis involuntarily pouted, "well what other choice did I have? One of them had a hose." Louis dramatically tried to justify.

"Ah yes, a naked omega running around a castle that is occupied by alphas that haven't had sexual interaction in probably a decade, what a lovely article that would make. You could have died."

"But I didn't. And If it makes you feel better, I'm wearing underwear." Louis realized how stupid he actually looked, tightening the beige towel around him even harder than before.

"Yes, that makes me way more calm, thank you dove." Killian sarcastically said before poking his head out to see that the elves were still there bickering their heads off.

"Hmmmm... If I needed clothes, I would have been born with them." Louis concluded.

"But you eat, breathe, and live fairy bread. And you weren't born with that either." Killian argued, causing Louis to flash him a toothy smile.

"I mean, I guess." The omega shrugged playfully.

"God, someone needs to put a charm on you to stay in one place. Next thing you know you'll be in the banshees dungeon trying to play cards with them." Killian sighs.

"I'm more of a hide and seek slash tag-you're-it type of omega, but cards work too." Louis sarcastically replies back.

"I'll admit though- wait, what are you doing?" Louis watches Killian pull out a silver flask as he pushes it against his lips and takes a swig.

"Drinking. It helps me think better, you should try it sometime," The shapeshifter shrugs before shuddering and closing the flask.

"I'm pretty sure people don't think when they're drunk," Louis pointed out.

"Well you're sober all the time and look where it gets you." Killian states with a small laugh after, making Louis pout and furrow his eyebrows again.

"And around someone like you, I prefer being out my state of mind. Now, if you'll excuse me." Killian gets up before Louis could respond, and the omega thought he was done for.

"Killian, Killian, I'm going to kill you!" Louis whisper-yells once the alpha gets near the elves.

But just before Killian brings them to his attention, his whole body turns wider.

Louis widens his eyes and tries to hold back a squeal when horns protrude out of Killian's head. The shapeshifter turns his eyes into a melancholy red; face stoney and solid, almost expressionless.

Scars form all over his cheek and his hair shaggy while his jaw is a sharp shard of glass. His height increased by several inches, and attire an unnecessary formal. A broad chest and claws like never before were also appearing.

Then Louis knew exactly what the alpha was doing.

"What are you both doing wandering around?" Killian's imitation of Harry's voice was spot on that it gave Louis chills all around.

Iskra's (the elf with the pitchy voice) skin color drained to a pasty-eggshell white, her eyes widening to an abnormal size.

"M-ma-master, m-m-me and El-Ella were just-" Iskra squeaked before the pink haired elf, Ella, butted in.

"-going to tell you that the queen is washed and in his room, your majesty! Right, Iskra?" The lie rolled off perfectly off her tongue and Louis tried to keep in a laugh at the way it sounded so convincing.

"What?" Iskra seemed confused but as soon as Ella gave her a poke in the stomach she seemed to get what was being played at here. "O-oh yes, clean as a pumpernickel, Master."

"Very well then," Killian nodded, "then don't just stand here, elves. The Cerberus still needs feeding. Hurry on then."

"B-but Ma-master, wasn't it Lord Killian's turn to feed the-" Iskra started but Ella nudged her with her elbow again.

"Lord Killian has done enough, the dashingly handsome man deserves a well earned break." Louis almost cracks at that, because those words coming from Harry's voice was absolutely hysterical.

The elves blinked at Killian before the shapeshifter cleared his throat and said,  "um, off you go then. Go on."

"Yes, your majesty." The both said in unison and bowed, before scurrying to the other end of the hallway in a quick hurry before their lie catches up to them.

Louis sighs in relief when he hears two noisy footsteps exiting in his left ear, and keeps the towel wrapped around him before he hears the words in Killian's normal voice,

"You can come out now, you idiot."

Louis pokes his head out from the behind of the dragon statue, checking if the coast was actually clear. When it showed to be, he lazily got to his feet with a wicked smile.

"That was brilliant! How did you do that!?" Louis' eyes shine with curiosity and admiration.

"Please," Killian scoffed playfully, "I used to transform to Harry all the time when I want things. I already have five creatures doing my chores for me, including these elves feeding the Cerberus for me."

Louis' eyes crinkle as he lets out a chuckle, "I guess I should say I owe you my life?"

"Ah, no dove, I have seen your life.. and trust me, I do not want it. A simple, 'thank you' would do."

Much to Killian's surprise, the omega laughed brightly before wrapping small arms around his waist and hugging the shapeshifter tightly.

"Thank you." Louis says genuinely.

Killian looks down at the omega then. Cheeks smooshed up against his chest as eyes were scrunched up in a content manner. His eyelashes fanning over high cheekbones and lips lifted up in an innocent smile.

The shapeshifter let himself smile for a minute, before snapping out of his trance.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I am great. But darling, you still have to bathe. You smell like a Sea-Goat." Killian exaggerated, making Louis pull away and scoff.

Louis put his index finger and thumb on his chin, stroking his imaginary beard, pretending he was thinking about it. He gave the shapeshifter a mischievous smirk before turning around and saying, "You're gonna have to catch me first!"

-

 

"YOU'VE BEEN AVOIDING ME, HARRY."  The voice inside Harry's head was strong, and it's raspy tone lingered and left and trail of sinisterness.

"They're still falling," Harry roared, "why are the petals still falling?"

It was the single red rose in the glass case that Harry stared at with frustrated eyes. The sunset gained the vermillion color with burnt out oranges and spikes of pinks; but no color could hide the dead browns the fallen petals turned into when they fell off the flower.

The essence of hope was hanging on its last thread, and now the spirit of helplessness dug it's way into the stem of the rose. There were more petals on the bottom of the dome glass case than on the flower itself. There could only be a dozen left surrounding it, if Harry was lucky.

Harry touched the glass and wanted to do nothing more than to smash it into a thousand pieces and scatter them all over the seas. But there was no use. The only thing Harry has left to save him is this rose.

"The omega doesn't love you Harry, we don't need his love."

Harry grimaces at the feeling of his head pounding and his temple throbbing. The alpha didn't even notice the way he was digging his claws into his palms. The side of his neck stringed painfully.

"I should have never let you take over me. I no longer possess the body I once had full dominance over. I no longer control my mind. I am a prisoner now. I am a mere parasite to you, you are the host." Harry growled back, ignoring how the venom nipped inside him.

"The omega can't give you anything. Lillian couldn't either, all she did was bring you this rose. The same rose that is turning you into a beast, look at yourself."

Walking away from the covered rose, the alpha makes his way to the large mirror. The sides carved in the shapes of snakes and appeared as though it survived a locus storm. A streak of cracked glass morphed Harry's face into a broken image of himself.

The claw marks on his neck were deep and fresh, the outside flesh lined with crimson and violet. His under eyes were laced with vibrant veins that traced all they way back to . The same neck with a slit. 

He was not a beast. He was monstrous. Revolting.

"You need power. What are you without it? I give you everything, the omega can offer you nothing."

"I don't need power," Harry muttered, "I need him."

Harry held up a fist and connected it with the mirror in a blow. His knuckles didn't hesitate to bleed out, and shards of glass came trashing down to the floor. A few pieces of mirror were still hung up; but just barely. The alpha didn't wince when the pain begin to stir  in his hand, he didn't even speak.

"Trapped, I am trapped. I cannot escape this cage of a mind of mine. You locked me away. I am nothing more than just a voice now. I am just a memory." Harry murmured aggressively.

Harry looked down to find the largest shard of glass, and found one that was shaped like a dagger. The sides skimmed down to the tip; which was a sharp death wish. The alpha picked it up instantly.

"What are you doing?"

Harry held up the shard of glass against his neck, the side that was aching with a tremendous amount of despondency.

On the dressing table that the mirror was over, stood only one object in all its glory. A small, black box; taunting Harry with its small gem on the top, which was an emerald that gleamed in all its magnificence. Cursive writing was carved onto one side of its outside walls;

'Male Consolatoriam Domi'.

Harry reached for the box, using a shaky hand, and then dropped down as soon as he got a hold of it. For a long moment, he didn't do anything with it expect stare. The man's fingers, which were covered in dried blood, traced over the carved letters and sleek design. The box fit right into the palm of his hand, giving Harry a perfect hold.

"You need me Harry,"

Harry grabbed the shard of glass and held the tip against his neck, digging it in but not quite breaking the skin. He didn't dare to slit the spot just yet, only prepare for the impact that was about to explode onto him.

"You're weak without me! You're memories will catch up with you before hell does!"

In response Harry only looks directly at a fallen piece of the mirror and looks at the way he had angled the dagger of a glass; the corner of his mouth set and flickered up for a minute.

"Hell doesn't exist if God doesn't."

And with that, he digs the shard of glass right into the right side of his neck.

A roar shakes inside him, he feels the earthquake underneath him turn into a chaotic mess. His head didn't dare to go silent, but instead disintegrate into a thousand minuscule pieces of horror. Vision of red eyes went an unknown white for just a second as the sound of silence and ringing digs into his ears.

"Shut up! Shut the fuck up!" Harry howled when the familiar screams fill his head, he pulls at his hair and violently pounds at the crown.

Instead of the crimson blood the alpha had known so well, black venom was oozing out of his neck and squirming like it was alive. It was. It poured down slow and steady, each inch made the alpha feel lighter and lighter but empty.

Harry bellowed when the ringing of silence swirled a perfect storm inside his body, refusing to stop until it be filled with some sort of silencer.

Without a second left to think, Harry pressed the emerald that was placed on top of the black box he had inside of his hands. The side of his neck burned and only made the alpha shake in pain but it was all too familiar for him.

All the black venom went inside the ajar box, and shakes with fury when the walls of ebony closed upon it. Harry throws the box to the other side of the room, knowing very well nothing can taint it.

"I don't need you," Harry growls under his breath as he stares at his wild red eyes and terrifying horns through the shards of mirror on the floor, "

The alpha looks at the rose in its dome, eerie blues and greens reflecting its glass, "I just need him."

-

"IS THIS WHAT I MUST Work with!?" Louis whines when he feels another hard stoke of the brush go through his hair, the obvious tangles not making this job easy.

"My dear, when was the last time you brushed you hair?" A woman alpha with a pink afro and skin like a pumpkin asked Louis. Her red lips which were coated with a thick layer of glitter were pursed in discontent.

"I didn't know that was a thing till today," Louis narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Of course he knew about hair brushing, but when you're in the lowlands and are trying to avoid starvation, how you look is the least thing you really worry about.

"I can tell! Looks like a phoenix nest in here, why do you never show your blonde streaks off? Some would die for theirs to be natural." She said with a faux accent to stretch her words.

"Mhm, I guess I was too busy trying to live off of milk and bread to pay any attention to them," Louis sarcastically smiled up at the stylist.

"Ooh! He got you there, Celeste!" The old woman in the painting on the wall besides Louis laughed.

"Shut it, you hag, before I paint a mustache under your large nose hairs." Celeste snapped, making the painting scoff but shut up immediately.

Louis coughed at the strong floral and citrus smell when the alpha stylist sprayed something onto his head; but obviously getting more in his nose than anything, really.

"There, that's the best I could do on that part. The rest is up to whoever's above!" Celeste grabbed her beauty supplies off of the dresser, throwing a dress for Louis to catch.

By the end of it, Louis couldn't feel not one hair on his arms' or his legs. His skin had a thin sheet of soothing oil to make it appear moisturizer and shiny; or lustrous as Celeste would describe it. Petroleum jelly was layered lightly on the omegas eyelids, and some odd, light tint of red upon his lips.

Celeste tilts up Louis' chin and sighs. "Oh I do wish I was allowed to do something fun with you. Such a plain face, no tattoos, gems, or even patterns. In another time, in another time,"

Louis cringed at the thought of even getting any odd alterations done to him. Some Highlander's are very serious about fashion trends. From dying their skin violet, all the way to coloring their teeth blue. Some even go as far as to getting permanent gems attached to their belly buttons and elbows.

"Lord Killian told me you have something against people watching you dress and undress, so I'm going to leave the rest up to you. If you even do as much as TOUCH your hair and ruin it, I will not hesitate to give you lopsided nipples. Is that clear?" Celeste warns, Louis widening his eyes and trying not to laugh at the ridiculous threat.

"Crystal, m'am." Louis nods, watching the woman storm out the room, almost closing the door but not without a last word.

"I will be standing outside to escort you down. If you're not ready in three minutes I'm coming in here whether you are ready or not! Got that?" Her acrylic nails tap against the door hinge as her false bedazzled eyelashes threaten to fall off.

"Got it!" Louis nods, just wanting her to leave more than anything.

As soon as the omega hears the door close with a slam, he groans and lets his body fall onto the bed behind him.

"You're going to be late!" Louis groans as he hears those words for what seemed like the nine hundredth time.

"Oh what are you going to do if I am late? Jump out of the painting and wrestle me?" Louis snapped at the old woman in the portrait pose, hung up snotty like against the wall.

"Back in my day omegas used to be humble and respectful." She looked at Louis with disgust and scrunched up her oil painted nose.

"Back in your day you also used to throw your shit out of the window, what is your point?" Louis replied as the woman scoffed.

The omega groaned when trying to figure out how to wear the outfit that was already picked out for him from the dresser. It was a heavily embroidered peach robe, that stopped just at the knees. White lace would trace up at the sides; symbolizing purity. Peach was also an innocent color, but Louis knew his place as Luna was anything but innocent.

The silk material made the omegas hips look wide, and feminine illusion of soft skin look absolutely delicate. The bewitching, sheer sleeves left Louis tan skin hidden but somehow even more enriching. And the white slippers was just the icing to the cake.

If only Louis knew how to put the damn thing on.

"Oh my God, this is so bloody difficult!" Louis screamed out of frustration.

"That's because you're trying to stick your head out of the sleeve hole, you hooligan!" The painting sighed.

"Oh," Louis said in a small voice, but now trying to put his leg through were his head should be. He might have also hear a little rip near the bottom of the dress.

"You are impossible! Absolutely impossible! I can't stand watching this any longer, stop, stop!" The old woman shakes her hands inside the portrait scenery.

Louis does as he's told almost immediately, the dress now on the floor; abused and lifeless.

"Now, I'm going to give you one spell that I have picked up on- but if you use my name I will find away to get out of this painting and throw you out the window." The old woman scowled.

"You trust me enough to give me a spell?" Louis blinked in disbelief, "I don't think I can believe it."

"This will only help you dress and undress, so don't get any ideas, boy." The painting warned and Louis' head perked up as he nodded with a grin and excitement.

"Omega's honor," Louis held one hand up and one of his heart only half jokingly.

"Very well, repeat after me: ha-bi-tu!" The painting exclaimed.

Louis tried soon after, looking directly at the dress. "Ha-bi-"

"More firmly, you're trying to get make it go on you. Not ask it out to dinner." The painting sighed, as Louis narrowed his eyes.

"Alright," the omega cracked his knuckles and warmed up with kicking his little feet forward, "here we go." Louis pointed at the dress with his eyebrows furrowed and deepened his voice, "Ha-bi-tu!"

Without warning, the peach dress on the floor flew up as thought it was possessed by some ghost, and rushed towards Louis' face like a stallion. The omega widened his eyes and squealed with knowing anticipation. But instead of slapping his skin with silky cloth, Louis felt his cold body warm; like a sheet of blanket was put over him.

The scent of rose and honey made its way up the omegas nose, and even though Louis wouldn't dare open his eyes a moment before, one eye bravely peeked at what's happening around him.

"Woah," Louis muttered as he saw hair brushes floating around him. Perfume bottles were dancing around the air as they sprayed their scents onto Louis' neck. All around the place were normal household pampering items that flew through the changing room like they were under some sort of trance.

Louis didn't even notice how the dress was already on his body, hugging his curves like it was made for him specifically. The mirror that was hanging from a different wall was now in front of him, floating in the air and showing the omega his reflection. Louis widened his eyes, the boy didn't even look like a LowLander anymore.

"Well," the painting spoke up, the smug look on her face was off and now a slight expression of satisfaction was to be seen, "it's not the ugliest thing I have ever seen."

Louis' mouth went ajar in surprise, "I'm taking that as a compliment, we're already friends now."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, the last friend I had, I ate." The painting said, deadpanned.

Louis widened his eyes and froze, ignoring the way the object went back to their place. The omega was even more creeped out when the painting started laughing. "Kidding, kidding, paintings are allowed to joke around too, you know."

"Uh, yeah, yeah. Definitely," Louis chuckled uncomfortably.

"Now, since I know you're an irresponsible mutt, I'm giving you another spell to take your clothes off.  But be warned, don't dare to say this spell aloud until you absolutely wish to undress, until after the dinner party, am I clear?" The woman asked sternly.

"Yep, one hundred percent. Lay it on me." Louis nodded.

"You point to yourself and say exui! Just as firm and angry like I did. Got that?"

"Uh I think so, point to myself and say-" Louis started.

"Not now, idiot! Save it till after dinner. Which you are thirteen minutes late for, congratulations, that's the earliest you've been to get ready!" The woman exclaimed sarcastically.

"Thirteen minutes? Oh no, no, no, no!" Louis looked at the grandfather lock that's golden pendulum would not slow down for him.

Rushing towards the door like a bunny out of the way for a carriage, the omega didn't hesitate to slow down for the alpha stylist waiting for him on the other side.

"My Luna, you're late. Everyone is already in the Royal Hall." Celeste attempted to scold Louis.

"Chill, I just needed to put on my shoes," Louis defended himself, the guards furrowing their eyebrows in unison due to Louis' choice of words. Louis ignored their disbelieving faces and gave them an innocent nod towards the staircase.

"Well, are you going to escort me down to the dinner party, or should I have to use a spell for that too?" Louis muttered the last part, but that didn't stop Celeste from raising a spectacle eyebrow.

"Mhm," Her vanilla smelling perfume intoxicated Louis when she walked closer and patted his sleeves to smoothen them out a bit, before intertwining her arm with his and headed down the stairs slowly.

"You must always have your chin up to show confidence and shoulders back to let everyone know you're a mannered queen, and in your case, I suggest you to try as hard as you can." Celeste hummed, making Louis follow her directions with a scoff.

"And here I thought we were friends," Louis sarcastically replied back.

"Ah yes, and attitude, a Luna must always be respectful and they do not talk back. Hold your tongue around these alphas, boy, not everyone is as kind as I am." Celeste warned.

Louis bit his tongue to avoid another snark comment.

"You look beautiful tonight, you know." Louis nudged Celeste with a goofy smile.

"Yes, well," Celeste bit down a sheepish grin, but the pink blush that crept to the surface of her skin did not falter. "Thank you."

The melodic tune of mellow violins and soft guitars made their way all too rich in Louis' ears. It was distant, but loud enough for him to also let in the sounds of other people; dancing, laughing, singing. The omega widened his eyes at the noise of many others.

"Chin up, honey. This is all for you, and many traveled just to have a chance to see you, don't give them a frown. Let me see a smile." Celeste stopped at a large step at the stairs and so did the guards behind them.

"Um, right now?" Louis asked uncomfortably, the alpha stylist nodding in response in a hurry. "O-okay, erm, say something funny."

"I have no time for jokes dear. Dazzle me with a grin." Celeste's purple eyes bored holes into Louis' blue ones.

Louis gave a forced, toothy smile in response, making Celeste cringe in response. "On the other hand, the whole resting face was a good look, very mysterious. Avoid smiling tonight."

Louis narrowed his eyes but nodded, and then winced when he felt the tugging feeling in his lower abdomen once again, making Celeste sigh.

"No time to be sick. Not tonight, I'm going to let you go down the rest of the steps on your own now, you hear? I'll be right by your side but holding your arm makes you look a tad weak. Bare with me, now." Louis nodded at her words and knew that he was only a turn away from entering the party.

The music was now bursting in his ears, sweet and light singing was to be heard as the slight added harp was the cherry on top. He could smell all sorts of foods; from chocolate desserts to garlic bread. Sweet and savory met at a boundary line and agreed to tantalize anyone who dared to go pass their heavenly prepared meals.

The sound of children mischievously laughing made Louis smile in memory of his own youth, and his heart ache for his past. The omega took a mental note of asking a beta guard to bring up some of the meals to the other side of the castle, where Sam was.

As Louis stepped down the last few stairs, he could see the whole hall. And it wasn't even a surprised that his mouth almost fell open in utter awe.

Above the omegas head was a dome roof with stained glass as the material. Each with deformed flowers or surreal pictures of nature; from flowers to the sun. The moonlight that oozed from above shined through the glass and reflected reds, oranges, pinks,  blues, and indigoes upon the white floor; which seemed to have a personality of its own.

The walls weren't ordinary either, but mirrors themselves that made the room look even larger than it was. Champagne chandeliers hung low but proud, shining their emitting lights to only reflect angelically.

Still flying around like last time, fairies rained down pixie dust that added a little more magic to the whole scene. Glittered golds and royal reds rained down to make the room embody the epitome of pure magnificence.

There was only word to truly sum up the personality of the hall: magical.

"Woah," Louis whispered in wonder and surprise, startlingly impressed with astonishment. Smiling genuinely at the sight in front of him.

"Uh uh, save that smile for the guests." Celeste tsked back at him.

Louis raised his eyebrow, not knowing what she meant, but once he stopped staring at the scenery above; his eyes froze at the amount of people looking at him as though he was the attraction. The laughing, dancing, and even talking fell into a hush. Everyone stopped in mid-sentence to admire and gaze at him in a loss for words.

"Is that the Luna?" Some asked each other. Everyone to lost in the queen's beauty to even reply to that question; for they have never seen someone as radiant as the sun in a night so dark and young.

Louis, not knowing how to respond, looked at Celeste like a helpless puppy.

"They're all staring at you," He confusingly stated, making the stylist sigh and roll her eyes playfully.

"Believe me when I say this, my queen, they are all staring at you." Louis even got more uncomfortable at her statement.

Everyone in their special attire bowed down as the omega stepped down the last stair and had his slippers make contact with the floors. They parted like the Red Sea as Louis was making his way through, very awkwardly not knowing how to react to any of this,

So he just gave his most uneasy smile while waving like a lunatic.

"Hopeless," Celeste whispered to herself with an exasperated sigh.

The music began once again but the people continued to stare and only dance to make it seem like they weren't trying to gaze at the omega. Louis looked lost, as he was just swaying back and forth very subtly, looking for Harry. But there was no sign of the alpha, and he wasn't very hard to miss due to his size and rare features

Although it was not customary for invitations to request special attire, the women wore heavy gowns with precious jewels wrapped around their neck and hanging from their earlobes; and most of the men were dressed in their ordinary plain jackets with odd colored ties, and some even wore frock coats. Only the least worried of them all, Killian, wore his simple black trench coat with a flask by his heart.

"Oh, Killian!" Louis let out a breath of relief when seeing the shapeshifting alpha in the crowd.

Immediately looking in Louis' direction, Killian gives a toothy smile; maneuvering his way out of the groups of people surrounding him.

"Who knew there was skin under all that dirt!?" Was the first thing he said to the omega, making Louis scoff and pinch his bicep playfully; hurting himself more than the shapeshifter.

"I thought they said this was a dinner party," Louis looked around, still in awe when soaking up the whole rich atmosphere.

"It is, or I hope so, I already won five bets and three gallons worth of elixirs, I'm not in the position to say this isn't a party." Killian shrugged cockily.

"Do you know where's Harry? I don't see him here," Louis asked coolly, not wanting to seem eager.

"Ah, he's late to this dinner party as well, and he's the host. You, however, are only thirteen minutes late. What a power couple, amiright?" 

Louis frowned involuntarily at the thought of Harry being so late. What was he doing that set him back so much? Was he alright? And then the tugging feeling down low started to feel more aggressive, but just as last time, the omega chose to ignore it immediately.

"Mm, I see more party than dinner, I'm afraid we'll have to pick pocket some of these lunes and go to the city for food." Louis plotted, only half serious.

"Pfft, you wouldn't know how to pick pocket, princess. You don't have it in you." Killian swords made Louis raise his eyebrows.

"Actually, I've been pick pocketing since I was six, so," Louis shrugged nonchalantly.

"Mmhm, somehow I don't believe that, dove." Killian took a gulp out of his flask.

"You really want a bet on that, don't you?"

"Now you're speaking my language," Killian smiled mischievously, his brilliant eyes flickered around the room until he found the perfect target.

"Ooh, Orange Tie with the pink champagne is coming in your direction, lets see how you do, dove."

Louis watched how a buff and husky man did walk towards him, his pockets tight since his suit was tighter than it should be. Judging from his suit itself, Louis knew he was very materialistic as well. It was rare for some to wear the color orange, it was really a color for the rich and powerful; and this man was drenched in it.

He had his ears pierced to reveal two gem stones in the burnt red tone, as he had the same colored bracelet cuffs. The champagne in his hand was only the most richest; as golden bubbles oozed out of the foam and rose gold liquid swirled in the glass.

So of course he wouldn't like it if his precious things got soiled.

"Mhm, give me your flask." With a round smile, Killian obliged, handing the silver over immediately as Louis heads in.

Opening up the flask, the omega fakes to take a sip but right when Orange Tie Guy is one shoulder graze away, Louis pretends to accidentally spill the red colored rum all over the man.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry! I didn't watch where I was going at all!" Louis put on a pout and his hands were on his mouth in faux shock.

"This costed suit costed more money than five dragons would, boy, I oughta-" the man angrily shook his hand which was in a fist but as soon as he caught a glimpse of Louis' face, he widened his beefy eyes and chuckled nervously. "My Luna, it is no problem. Accidents happen, eh?"

"No, no, no, I must help you clean this mess up at least a tad," Louis grabs two napkins from a nearby table and hands one to the man, "here I'll do your back, it is absolutely drenched."

As the man was too focused on protecting his expensive suit, he didn't even notice Louis only patting down some alcohol while sneakily slipping out a thick, orange wallet from his loose, back pocket.

Louis slipped the wallet into his own dress pocket and winked at Killian, who had his mouth ajar and eyes open in pure shock.

"All clean," Louis smiled sickeningly sweet, making the beefy man nod and thank him, not before bowing and walking away in a hurry. 

Louis skipped happily back to Killian and took out the wallet from his pocket and threw it at the shapeshifter to catch. "And that's how it's done."

"You little shit-" Killian laughed, highfiving Louis' hand but he didn't get to finish his sentence when a tanned man in a raven suit came up to them both.

"Genius. He's genius." He smiled, Killian nodding happily in response.

"Uh, Louis this is Zayn, our second best advisor in the pack; kind of like a bootleg congress if y'know what I mean." Killian introduced as Louis raised a brow.

"Second, huh? Who's the first?" Louis already was guessing the answer to that question.

"Me, obviously. Catch up, omega," the shapeshifter scoffed, making Zayn roll his eyes.

"A pleasure to meet you, my queen. I've heard a lot about you," The advisor held Louis' hand to plant a kiss on a knuckle politely.

"Hopefully good things?" Louis playfully asked.

"You broke into the forest and tried to steal a wand, they weren't all that good to be honest." Killian laughed as Louis glared at him as to say 'shut up'.

"I came as a representative to formally invite you and see if you would like to join our Table, since you are Luna it is crucial for you to have a say in our new laws as our land progresses, it's only tradition." Zayn proposes.

Louis widens his eyes at the invitation. The Table is a group of advisors who gather for common meetings and pass new ideas straight to the king for approval. If the omega could get a seat or a place there, that means he could demand change for the LowLands and do justice for Sam.

He's only heard about them' but Louis figured that they were like law markers of the land. Only members of the high society and the most powerful of powerful were allowed to take a seat.

"Ooooh, say yes, you can sit next to me as we make fun of how Zayn flirts with Liam, he always agrees with everything the man says it's embarrassing really." Killian chimes in as Zayn's face flushes a red.

"Mhm, at least I agree. You barely show up." The advisor said back.

"Yes, yes, true, but now that I have a gorgeous omega to motivate me, I think I might make more appearances, honestly. Go on," Killian nudged Louis, "say yes."

"Yeah, yeah, of course." Louis grew from confident to nervous so quick, the two alphas above him smiled down.

"Brilliant, I'll let you know when's the next meeting then, enjoy the party." Louis nodded pathetically, still in a lost for words that he just got such an honorable position.

"What just happened?" Louis said aloud in disbelief.

"You just got the best seat at the Table ever! we gotta move Danielle though, but I'm quite scared of her so you might have to be the one to speak up, eh?" The shapeshifter said, Louis only grinning at the thought of sitting there while making change.

"Oh my god I'm so excited right now, holy shit this is happening," Louis almost squealed, not caring about Celeste's 'no smiling' rule.

As a waiter passed by with a tray full of drinks, Louis didn't hesitate to take two.

"Here, I wanna celebrate right now," the omega smiled and handed one glass to Killian.

It was a bubbly alcoholic drink, pink bubbles popping and carbonated liquid fizzing. Sugar was coated on the outside, making Killian widen his eyes.

"Uh, dove, you're a bit of a lightweight. This is imp sugar, you'll go ballistic."

"Don't be a buzzkill, let me have a taste,"

"Sorry dove, no can do."

"Just a sip, I promise."

Killian hesitated slightly, but the innocent light in Louis' eyes seemed genuine enough for him. Handing the glass over to the omega, it was under his supervision how much he would drink.

"Sucker," Louis in one quick second, gulped down the whole liquid in the glass and is whole body shivered with a new profound energy along with adrenaline.

"For fucks sake Louis, you're going to go batshit," Killian grabbed the glass and tipped it to confirm that Louis indeed did drink the whole thing.

"Oh chill out, I know how to take control of my own body. I'll be fine," Louis assured.

"I don't know, dove, you even licked off the imp sugar," Killian muttered.

"I don't even feel anything, I'm as calm as the wind right now," Louis rolled his eyes.

"If you're sure, dove,"

"Positive,"

-

"BEST PARTY EVER!" Louis shouted over the sound of cheerful folk music playing in the background. Everyone around him was either clapping along to his dancing or having fun themselves.

Louis was currently spinning around with a random girl he found from the crowd, both of them laughing louder than a thousand fairies. The atmosphere was no longer thick and uncomfortable, but loose and playful.

Children were also running around the floor with giggles and jumping up and down with glee. Men and women with drink in their hands didn't mind the spills as they too were letting their wild sides out for the night, a part of them that couldn't be tamed after the music speeded up.

People tripped over tables and chairs, but that didn't stop the party from continuing. Everyone was either too tipsy or too lost in the light of the moment to even care if they fell down. The whole entire essence of fun swept them off their feet, as their minds were drifting off to another time.

"Come on, Kills, don't be a party pooper!" Louis grabbed the still man's hand, who was too worried about the omega to have fun.

"Oh no dove, I cant dance," The shapeshifter assured but Louis just pulled him against his own body.

"You can't or you won't?" Louis dared, smiling deviously as the whole crowd encouraged them on with chants like, 'dance! dance! dance!'.

"Put your arm around my waist like this," Louis grabbed the alphas large hand and put it against his waistline. "And your other hand here," Louis put another hand on his hip, "and then we jump!"

Just like that, the pair were moving like no one was watching, randomly moving their feet while laughing like idiots. Killian spun the omega around without a single sign of difficulty, just to hear Louis emit loud giggles. Claps along with hoots followed after them, hyping the two up.

Louis' whole body seemed to be on fire, but a flame of pure pleasure. His cheeks felt hot and ears were blazing. Then the tugging that bothered him all day was to felt everywhere. Everyone else grabbed a partner and were too caught up in their own fun to notice Louis whispering in Killian's ear,

"I think I'm going to puke glitter," Louis giggled, stumbling happily.

"Maybe you should sit, Lou, you are out of it," Killian worriedly said, helping stabilize the omega by giving him his shoulder.

"Mmmm, let me think about it," Louis touched the scruff upon the alphas face, and then booped his nose with his finger, "nope."

"Here, up you go," Killian swept Louis off his feet and carried his with his arms towards an empty table to sit.

"Oh my god, the ground is far away!" Louis pointed out, very dunk like.

"No dove, you're just not on it." Killian responded, feeling foolish talking to the omega like he was a child.

"Am I flying? Lets fly to the moon and eat pumpkin bread there!" Louis pleaded.

"Next time I'll take you to the moon, okay? But right now lets go sit down on a chair."

"Ooh! I like chairs! That's my favorite color!" Louis smiled when Killian put the boy down onto one. The shapeshifter laughed at the random nonsense coming out of the Luna.

"Same, but I like the color refrigerator more." The alpha teased back but then got worried when Louis whined.

"It's really hot in here, too hot," the omega grabbed the material of his dress and was about to lift it over his head until Killian stopped him from doing so.

"Hey, lets not be naked, okay?"

"Hot-"

"Yes yes, but trust me, taking your dress off isn't going to make it any cooler,"

"Feels like a stove, no an oven, a stoven," Louis whimpered, biting his bottom lip.

"I know, I know, want me to get you some ice water?" Killian offered, Louis looking at him with unreadable eyes and a pout.

"Want more pink drink," Louis requested in a high voice, wanting the sweet taste on his lips.

"Don't think so, you're not going to be having the ping drink for a while now, love." Killian tried to ignore Louis' drunk, innocent pout with his furrowed eyebrows in an adorable anger.

"I'll be back with your water to somer you up a bit, don't do anything stupid to yourself. And keep your clothes on, dove." Killian's said sternly, making Louis stick his tongue out childishly when the alpha turned his back.

But as soon as Louis was left alone, the omega felt it.

A wave of heat crashed onto his body in the form of a merciless flood. A shiver went through him of pleasure and want, as the goosebumps upon his skin rose up in need. The omega gasped when he felt the heat in his lower abdomen flourish all around his body, making hot slick pour down his tan leg which was exposed for anyone to see.

The party around the omega didn't matter anymore, Louis couldn't hear the music, it all was just a blurred sound. Laughing and dancing turned to white noise, only a sex crazed heartbeat was pounding in the omegas ears, as his sighs of wanting relief took control of his hands that railed down his neck.

Louis wanted nothing more than for his dress to be discarded as a thick knot pumps into him repeatedly, one that's long and satisfying. The alcohol and his heat mixed as well as gasoline and a flame, making his mind hazy and vulnerable.

It takes a while before an omegas scent from heat is brought to everyone's attention, after all, the omega is the one to feel it first and smell it her or himself. But all Louis wanted right now was to be pushed up against a wall, oh, or down into a bed; screaming into a pillow as his alpha bites him and pumps pups into him.

The want to be shut up by lips against his, or fingers in his heated mouth and an alpha cock is making slick fall down even faster than before; almost trailing down his leg. He wants bite marks to be all over his body, showing everyone how badly he got fucked during a heat so great. The omega should be grateful that the guests were all occupied in their own party and drunk minds to see him like this.

Louis sighs, his eyes drifting closed as electricity shoots through his whole body when he squeezes his thighs. His hands one one moment away from pleasuring himself if the alpha he desires doesn't do it for him. He wants his legs spread, though; as a head dips in between and a large hand gripping his inner thighs.

Louis whimpers at the fact that there isn't a hot tongue against his hole, the face that there isn't a bite mark on his neck; it was just him and the drunk party guests.

But just as the omega was about to let out an unsatisfied mewl, he smelled the presence of an alpha. But not his alpha.

"May I have this dance?"

Louis felt every hair rise upon his body, and felt a shudder emit once the heated voice made its way through his ear. The raspy and raw tone something he had never heard before, like a cigarette addicted ghost; somehow haunting but at the same time humane.

The omega turned around, hungry blue eyes facing an unfamiliar hazel. The feature belonged to a tall alpha, hair a messy blond and eyebrows thick. There is not one spot upon the man's face that is empty, either filled in by a freckle or some sort of cut. The smirk he wore was more vivid than the black suit; sinister and proud.

Before Louis could respond, the man's hand was already snaked around his waist, and hand intertwined as it was seemingly consensually captured. Louis felt thick fingers going in circles near the dip of his back, only inches away from his derrière. Clothes only doing so much.

"I don't usually go to balls, they are rather boring," Hazel Eyes stated with a faux passive expression.

"Hot, call Killian," Louis attempted to plead, trying to sound less frazzled and match the alphas tone, but failing when it comes out in a sarcastic hush.

Hazel Eyes' eyebrows shot up in surprise as the smirk changed into an amused and satisfied smile, "You're in heat, I could smell you all the way from the other side of the room,"

Louis' breath hitches when he feels calloused fingers rake up and down his exposed arm, massaging the tan skin as they did so; the alpha not minding at all how the flesh felt.

"But I was told that there was a special omega coming out to frolic in this one, so I decided he would like some company," Hazel Eyes let his face grow near Louis', and dip down to his ear until his warm, wet lips touched the skin.

"No, no, call Harry," Louis attempts to break away from the hold of the alpha, but fails and lets out a whimper when Hazel Eyes only grips the skin of his waist tighter.

"I have an ace nose, my dear, I know how an omega is during a heat, needy," his voice was now a more dangerous type of deep but at the same time he managed to make it look like an angelic dance in front of all the other guests.

Louis whined at the feeling of heated slick trail down his tanned legs, not daring to open his mouth and allowing the man to continue his statement; trying to ignore the way the sheer cloth upon his skin could be easily felt up in, and was right now.

"Your scent's like. . . Cockatrice droppings," Louis breathed out, his drunken mind playing games with his inner omega, connecting his gaze with Hazel Eyes.

The man laughs with a sinister timbre, "Your humor won't last long here omega,"

"It's been hard to kill so far," Louis slurred, mocking the Alphas raspy voice.

"It's a tough bastard, alas," Hazel Eyes trails a finger on the high cheekbones of Louis, and suddenly his hands were cold and it all felt oh-so terrifying. "That makes two of us, then." The omega cringes at the affection.

"But for you, I wouldn't be so sure, Luna. The last queen in your place had carried the same bravery, before a rope was tightened around her neck and she was held as high as the sun during noon."

"Perhaps your humor will die once you do, my queen.." The alpha laughs lowly, making Louis' skin flush and his eyebrows furrow.

"I d-" the omega tries but gets cut off by the raspy voice again.

"You smell divine," a nose connected with Louis' neck as his hips were sure to have bruises. "I want to feel these," He grips all the way down to Louis' thick thighs and into his inner ones; close to the omegas girth but not quite.

Hazel eyes darken to a indistinguishable alpha black as he smells Louis' omega scent, a growl making itself heard. Louis uncomfortably sighed at the feeling of his hard on upon his thigh.

"I want to feel you under my body," voice lost in a hunger, a thirst.

Louis gulps with disgust, and watched how the crowd was too cheerful to mind the pair. There was no sign of Killian anywhere, nor was there Harry.

"No, no," Louis crooks his neck in the other direction when he sees thin lips trying to graze once again upon his neck.

"You have a choice, my queen." Hazel Eyes' picks up Louis' chin to connect his eyes with the omegas, who had tear stained cheeks that were from his heat and uncomforted feelings. "You will let me take care of you, or I'll make sure all these alphas in this ball room tonight smell you and take turns marking your skin."

Louis lets out a shaky breath, completely taken over by a drunk mind and his need for sexual contact; also lacking to let his voice be heard due to his weak demeanor ever since he felt that wave of heat meter through his body.

The omega let out a disgusted whimper when Hazel Eyes' lips were close enough to his own, and just as they were about to connect; they didn't.

In a second, Louis felt large hands snatch at his waist pulling him back from the clutches of Hazel Eyes. The omega lets out a small nmph noise in surprise, also gasping in utter shock, not hearing the music being played anymore, or the dancing of the guests. Instead he felt a thousand alpha eyes upon him and protective arms around his small body.

Too distracted by his own desire, Louis didn't hear the gasps emerge from the growing crowd that circled around what seemed to be a violent scene. All the omega could smell right now was a sultry scent he craved with a burning desire. The musky and powerful aroma that belonged to an alpha, his alpha. The same alpha Louis wanted over him right now.

When the omegas vision cleared, he widened his eyes and bit down on his lip in surprise.

Harry had Hazel Eyes' neck in his fist, his other hand bruised and grazed on the knuckles; not hesitating to mercilessly connect with a sharp jaw. Hazel Eyes' feet were off the ground when Harry lifted him by his throat without any sign of difficulty. Bloody bruises and open wounds soon begin to appear on the victim's face, Harry whispering threats in a deep, sinister voice into the other man's ear.

Louis felt his inner wolf whimper at the fact that his alpha was so far away and engaging in these violent acts instead of being by his side. But the other half of his omega is feeling safe and tranquil, due to the fact that his alpha is protecting him like this. It is an Alpha's duty to protect their mate, a natural instinct.

It's the alphas duty to make sure his Omega is out of harms way, and it's only sensible that they grow out of control when they see another bastard on top of what's theirs.

And Harry only sees red at this moment. A demonic, sinister, animalistic red.

He knew the second he stepped into the hall that he smelled his omega in heat. The vanilla perfume tantalizing and possessing something monstrous in him; awaking every grain of alpha inside him. His mine screamed to mark, bite, claim. He'd have the boy under him in a minute, begging for a knot; crying out in anticipation as his slick trails down his thick thighs.

But another body was on his omega , chapped lips close to innocent and vulnerable pink ones. Harry sees his own violent thoughts as one goes through his whole body which shook from jealousy and anger: Mine, mine, fucking mine! And his hand pushes the out-of-it omega aside before taking a fucker in his hands.

"Look at me," Harry growled at the pathetic alpha in his hands, "I said look at me, Enfoiré." The Hazel Eyed alpha let out a plead for mercy before harry whispered in his ear, "the last thing you are going to see as an alpha is the eyes of your king."

Hazel Eyes groans aloud in pain when Harry lets him fall to the ground; his neck directed in an uncomfortable angle as his body sags in loss of energy. Patches of red all over his body.

"Take him to the West Chamber, beta," Harry commanded lowly in a threatening voice to a nearby guard, frozen in fear, "and tell the Guardians to rip his knot out."

Everyone watched the alpha on the ground be carried away by his arms, knees dragging onto the floor pathetically; Harry was left in his uncontrolled state, panting with anger still rushing through his veins.

Louis felt arms tighten around him protectively, as the omega looks up and sees Killian with an uneasy expression and a horrified demeanor. Everyone around them had the same face, and all of them were cautious to not trigger the alpha into doing something even worse.

Killian didn't react extremely, however. He didn't even bother to pull Harry back because he knew how the alpha would react if someone kept him from protecting what's his in this state. The alpha king has been in more damned and hellish fights than this, so this whole scene appeared to be child's play in his eyes.

If Louis wasn't so intoxicated by alcohol and an upcoming heat he would have been trembling and terrified; but right now, all the omega saw was bubbles and sparkles.

"Ooooooh, he's in trouble," Louis giggled, breaking the silence with his drunk mouth coming back into play.

Harry then turns around when he hears the omegas voice, snapping him out of his aggressive trance to full focus upon his mate. The alpha wiped his mouth, smearing crimson blood from his knuckles to his cheek. His eyes full of maliciousness if his desires were not fulfilled.

"Give him to me." Harry looks down at Louis with possessive eyes as the omega stares up with a lazy smile; Killian only stepping back with the omega still in his clutches.

"It's not safe for him to be around you in his state," Killian replied back, his own alpha voice coming out in a deep timbre. 

Harry's jaw clenches and looks threateningly sharp, as his whole body tenses. Both eyes are now a stony black, not being a force that anyone would want to try today.

"That's not something you have to worry about."

Harry removes Killian's tight gripping arm from Louis' waist with ease and snakes his own sustainable arm around the omegas curve. Louis cheek connects with Harry's chest, his inner omega purring in content and pleasure at the scent emitting from his alphas body. His mind only was thinking and consisting of harryharryharry on repeat.

The alpha lowers his hand down to run it through Louis' hair, trying to make the omega as comfortable as possible in such a vulnerable position. Harry furrowed his eyebrows with concern when Louis didn't back away from the omega as he usually would, but instead leans into the alphas touch submissively.

Harry knelt down and looked at the omegas blown pupils, "You're going to get on my back, hang on until I tell you otherwise, do you understand?"

When Harry lowly gives him a command in his ear, Louis let out a small whimper at the fresh release of slick between his thighs. Louis tugs on Harry's shirts neckline flirtatiously and connected his lips with the small space out of his alphas ear.

"Mmhm, anything for you, alpha." Louis slurred into Harry's ear as he gets on his tippy toes.

The alpha felt his inner wolf wanting to come out right now and take this boy on the floor right now so everyone can watch how this delicious omega was all his. His fresh slick, his lustful eyes, his smooth skin; all his and only his.

When Harry lowered, the omega didn't hesitate to climb up on him like he was a tree. Wet legs were wrapped around his hips, and dainty hands holding onto his lower neck tight.

"Bye everyone, I had an awesome time!" Louis waved large before Harry could move towards the stairs, almost forgetting that their audience is still there standing, "I'm going to do the no-no deed!"

Killian, who was currently face-palming, along with the other guests who once fell into a moment of silence erupted in shocked gasps.

Before Louis' able to say anything else, the alpha carrying him steps onto the old wooden stairs, making Louis giggle from the feeling of hard muscles moving under his body. The drunk omega kept his face nuzzled into the crook of Harry's neck, wanting to savor the musky scent as long as he could, possessively nipping at his alphas ear.

Louis was on the brink of being completely consumed in his heat. Before an omega crowns in pure lust and sexual desire, it's common for them to be this affectionate and mischievous; it's their nature to lure an alpha in to help them through what is the next even after.

"Have I ever told you how much I like your shoulders?" Louis murmured coquettishly.

"You did not." Harry stated, tense when the omega rested his chin on one of them as if to prove his point further.

"I do, they're strong," Louis exaggerated the strong, stretching out the 'o' teasingly.

As Harry reached the floor in an instant, the alpha didn't seem to have difficulty kicking a door open with his free foot, letting the familiar atmosphere of the Locus soothe the omega and calming down his hormones but failing when Louis only climbed from the alphas back to the front of his body; forcing the alpha to push him against the wall to support the boy.

"Mmhm, I also quite like your horns," Louis breathed out in difficulty since his inner omega was shining at the fact that Harry had his hips against his. "They're awfully nice to hold."

"Louis-"

The omega cut off the alpha with his drunk giggles, "I like your horns because I'm also horn-y, get it?"

"You're drunk, lamb-"

"I like it when you call me that, y'know? Always did," Louis flicks a piece of loose hair away from Harry's face, his pink lips were only an inch away from the alphas and blue eyes gazing into his as well, "want you to call me that when you fuck me against this wall right now,"

Harry's eyes darken more than before, if that was even possible, as he smells Louis' growing arousal, a growl making itself heard. Louis opens his mouth to make another drunk comment, but was unsuccessful when red lips crashed into his. The omega moaned into the kiss, only opening his mouth more to the alphas wanting tongue, as he also bit down on the cushion of Louis' bottom lip.

Louis hands lifted to touch Harry, wanting some form of dominance over their session right now, but like it was an instinct, hardy pinned his small wrists against the wall in an instant; roughly rutting the omega up once against it.

"Mmh, you taste like cherry alcohol and silver," Louis laughed into the kiss, when it was on the borderline of finished already.

Harry's eyes shift a lustful red before he clenched his jaw and returns them to an expressionless black, going against his own nature knowing the horrid things he could do right in this moment.

"I am going to lay you on the bed, keep your legs spread. If you dare to touch yourself  I will leave you here alone," and fuck, Harry's alpha voice made Louis feels another wave of slick release at how dominant and deep it is.

Louis nods, weak but obligingly as he feels soft covers against his back.

"Harry," Louis feels his body temperature getting more heated than ever before, "want-"

Louis couldn't even finish his sentence because the overwhelming feeling of want dug deep within him. His whole body was shivering and washed by the unforgiving waves of heat. His hand threatened to bury into his warmth, wanting relief more than anything.

"Alpha, you call me alpha from here on out, I won't accept anything less," Harry growled, his shirt now off completely; Louis' vision was too hazy to see much but the toned muscles and tattoos scattered all over a tanned body was all too much for him right now.

Louis looks up at Harry who has a look of furious hunger. The anger on the man's face is absolutely a delicious sight. His happy trail is delectable and even the way his curly hair is framing his face is unfairly sexy.

Louis wants to push Harry to the absolute edge. Wanting him to threaten what he wants to do to the omega in his ear with his hand wrapped around his neck and cock shoved down his hole; holding the omega down as he fucks into the bed, leaving marks all over his skin. 

"Alpha," Louis whines, "please,"

"Words, omega, words," Harry said lowly, his hot breath now beating down between Louis' legs; hands squeezing the thickness of his self lubricated inner thighs. "I don't know what you need unless you say."

Louis whimpers before rolling his hips upward in want, forgetting the fact that he still had his dress on him. "W-want you to fuck you-your knot in me- ah!- t-to empty yourself into me, want to be f-oh god- full of y-your pups."

Louis didn't know where that even came from, but the red lust that her back into his alphas eyes let him know he was heading in the right direction.

The alpha king dips down and instantly connects his lips with the omegas slick-covered inner thighs. His mouth slightly sucking and teeth teasingly nipping, Louis gasps in bliss how Harry's hot tongue feels against his sensitive skin.

"Mmh-" Louis holds in his moans, one hand covering his mouth so he wouldn't let them out aloud.

"Don't," Harry grabs the hand in his own grip, looking up at Louis with dominant eyes; the order is executed in a large bark almost, the deep octave of Harry's voice making Louis almost come at that. "I want to here each sound that you make, if you hide them I'll make sure to have you scream down the halls. Understand?"

"Ye-yes," Louis breath breaks in a shudder.

"Yes what, omega?" Harry barley asks, almost demands to hear Louis say it.

"Yes a-alpha,"

Harry buries two fingers in Louis' warmth, easily sliding in due to the obscene amount of slick the omega had already been providing since the beginning. The omega didn't bother biting his lips to suppress a moan, he just allowed himself to sob out the word alpha alpha alpha repeatedly in a quivering manner.

Louis feels himself release easily, shamefully getting off at just the weight of Harry mounting over him. His cheeks heat up but the alpha above him has none of that, kissing his nose to comfort and reassure the boy.

"Good omega," Harry praised, knowingly. Omegas during heat love to be complimented on how well they are for their alpha, it calms them down almost from the overwhelming atmosphere that a heat provides. "Always a good queen for your alpha, all mine,"

Louis mewls out loud, almost purring at the same volume due to the praise that was raining down on him in showers. Harry's enormous, alpha hands come around to cup Louis' hip, tracing circles on a sensitive area. The alpha doesn't play fair when he knows this motion has Louis absolutely trembling and aching. His eyes slip shut as he moans at the action.

"Lamb, you smell so good. So fucking good." Harry smells the scent of sweet yet sultry vanilla, heavy doses of floral waves radiate from the omegas skin, acting like the sun during the night. The omega was glowing in the moonlight, putting any star in Stellarum to utter shame.

"Alph-alpha please," Louis begs, almost ready to come a second time, "need your knot, need your cock,"

What Louis didn't notice, is that the alpha slowly pulled his fingers out already; one hand in a tight fist that held a red pill. A suppressant.

"Open your mouth for me," Harry commanded, one thick finger on the entrance of Louis' lips, being allowed in immediately when Louis let out a small whimper.

"Let me see your tongue, lamb." Harry's voice was a deep erotic, it was taking every bit of the alpha's self-control flip over the omega and biting his neck ; claiming him to bring him back to the party and showing everyone who he belonged to.

But that was wrong. It was all wrong. The omega was way out of his mind, alcohol and heat fogging up all of his senses. Mating him would be out of lust, sin.

It wouldn't help Harry nor Louis in the situation they were both in. No, it wouldn't. If the alpha king would ever want to mate with this minx, he would have to do it with a great escapade.

Louis nods once, shivering as strong, possessive arms wrap around him from behind. Slightly sticking out his pink tongue, showing the alpha like he was a kitten. Harry but back at his inner wolf, wanting to shove his knot down the boys throat instead of a helpful pill; growling slightly at his body's thoughts.

Harry put down the pill in the tip of his queen's tongue, whispering to him to swallow; the suppressant was going to break down by just the moisture already consuming it. Louis furrowed his eyebrows but did as he was told, burying his face into Harry's bicep.

The queen suddenly felt a shiver go through him, a cold one that was like a butterfly net; scooping up all the warmth he had inside of him. His head also felt light, the heaviness being lifted in layers.

His groin goes down as he mewls in discomfort. A yawn emerges when he feels the soft, velvety blanket go over him as Harry wipes down any mess that he had made beforehand with a cloth.

Louis' eyelids felt heavy, as though they were weights of some kind. They refused to open, and the omega didn't even try to make them. He made grabby hands at the blanket and tucks himself in good; not going to risk having the odd chills trail down his spine again.

"I want you to sleep well, omega, and that's an order not a request," Harry whispered into the omegas ear, stroking his feathery hair with his nails.

Louis let out another kitten yawn, letting out a whimper once he feels Harry's body warmth being lifted away once the king rises off the bed. He omega extends an arms and tugs on Harry's trousers to bring the attention back to him.

"Stay," Louis sleepily hums, as if he was only half awake.

When Harry lifts one of his hands, the movement startles Louis. The omega flinches and his lips form into a pout, Harry frowns slightly, not knowing he was. The alpha put back his hand to the same spot on Louis' hair, stoking the soft fringe.

"What can I do to make you want to stay?" Louis hears a deep voice whisper, the best upon his skin melting away as he lifts his heavy eyelids with a hitches breath.

"H-huh?" Wa all Louis could pathetically let out, feeling a faint red color sinking into his cheeks.

It could be the alcohol.

It should be the alcohol.

His hand trails down to the omegas face, hesitantly with caution. Once there, it cradles Louis' head as he cups Louis' cheek; a finger pad moving up and down at his cheekbone.

"Sometimes, Omega, you are the only thing that makes me wish to see the morning sun." Harry cradled the side of his boy's head, cascading a naked back with a blanket of silk.

Surprising Harry, Louis nuzzles into the touch. His nose in the palm of the alphas hand as his small fingers hold the hand down to his face. Louis' body calms down when it drifts off to the scent that Harry emits.

Breaking the silence, Louis furrows his eyebrows suddenly. Harry moves his hand to move hair out of the omegas eyes; studying what was wrong with great concern.

A small 'achoo!' was all to be heard, the omega dryly sneezed very small-like, sounding like a hybrid fairy.

"Mmhm," Louis hums in his sleep, the pill not completely consuming his drunk mess quite yet, "the only thing I got to blow tonight was my nose,"

And for the first time that night, Harry let the corners of his mouth flicker up into a genuine smile.

.  
.  
.  
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	27. Candlelight and Dragons — PART ONE

**TWENTY** - **SEVEN** : **PART** **ONE**

 **HARRY'S** **STORY**

Candlelight and Dragons

 _Every_ _villain_ _is_ _a_ _hero_ _in_ _their_ _own_ _mind_ , _darling_.

*to clear certain things up; Sam isn't dead, but only brain dead. That means his memories are taken from him, but he is still alive as a character.

 

—

 

 ** _MANY_** **_YEARS_** **_AGO_**...

 

Dragons can only crawl before they fly.

 

Their wings are far too thin once they are hatched from their eggs. They'd spend their young days under the grand shades of sycamore trees and fairy hives, rolling in the muddy banks that their chosen river would occasionally splash at.

 

Their mouths were unable to breathe out even a spark or a flicker of fire, only small breaths of dewy air from the sticky atmosphere that they reside in.

 

Harry peaks with a grin at the small whelp that hid behind the tall stalks of grass, it's webbed feet sunken in dried soil; whimpering and stuck.

 

"Hello," Harry speaks out, startling both the dragon as it cried out a squeaky shout; too small to even roar.

 

Harry ducked his head, scaring himself as well. He bit down on his lip and edged closer to the dragon, crawling a little so his steps don't cause any unnecessary commotion that will disturb the creature.

 

"Um, my name is Harry," The young Alpha murmurs, as though the dragon could understand him and respond. "You seem to be stuck."

 

The dragon immediately spreads the bones of his under-grown wings, trying to intimidate the child with his families known defense mechanisms ...but failing when Harry only shook his head slightly.

 

"I know you can't fly. Not yet."

 

The dragon halts his movements, the holographic lids of his eyes shutting; pretending like a child that if he does this then he disappears.

 

"You're still here. I just want to help, will you allow me?" Harry politely asked, reaching his hand out to the dragons feet only to get hissed at with a snake-like, pink tongue.

 

Harry raises his eyebrows with his hands up in surrender. "Okay. Help yourself."

 

The child pretends to act disinterested at once, turning around and sitting down on the small plot of sod; whistling to himself.

 

The dragon then continues to fight the mud, but it was far too heavy; pulling the stout body back into its heavy dirt.

 

The creature let sounds and whistles of distress, which Harry took as clear words of "Perhaps I do need your help after all."

 

Harry turns around and dips his chin down to reach the height of the reflective mauve being; a smile dancing on his lips as he raises a brow and says,

 

"Will you allow me now?"

 

The dragon hums and bows it's head with a profound stubbornness.

 

'Hurry on, mortal.'

 

Harry bites down a beam of happiness before digging the dark nails out of hardened grime; releasing lilac feet at once as the water from the banks fill up the deepened makeshift moats the boy had created.

 

The dragon whines in relief as the cold liquid hits the bottoms of his trotters, pupils dilating in pure delight.

 

"Are you alone?"

 

The dragon seemed to freak at Harry's voice, having his guard down and then remembering that there was a potential predator around.

 

The lavender creature strides down like a swift stallion to the other side of the tall oak tree besides him; hiding in an open trunk that was luckily not occupied by fairies (they did take their privacy very seriously).

 

"Don't worry! Please, I'm alone too. See? Nothing in my hands," Harry pouted when the dragon still wouldn't look up at him.

 

"Um... oh! Wait one minute!" Harry takes off his leather satchel that carried litter of old papers of sketches and wrinkled toffee wrappers; pulling out one shiny red treat.

 

The Alpha boy steps closer to the trunk, slicing a chunk with his pocket knife and hold the fruit in the palm of his hand towards the trunk.

 

Harry poked his head down the trunk slightly, narrowing his eyes trying to see if his new, potential friend was interested.

 

Nothing.

 

Harry lets out a huff of defeat, but just as he tries to pull his hand back in, a soft snap! and swallow sound enveloped from within the trunk and out peaked the small stumps of horns and a mischievous glint of the red-tongued whelp.

 

"It's an apple! They're really sweet. Mother likes growing them. I helped her though, I don't mind it." Harry rambles, an excited nervousness exploding in the pit of his stomach as he cuts more small pieces of the round apple with the knife and holds it out.

 

The dragon lets out a pleased hum, slowly trotting out of the trunks and onto the soft sod that was covered in constellations of morning dew. He continues at the sweet treat, small stumps of under developed teeth going around the skin.

 

"Do you have a mother? Where are your friends?" Harry whispered, curiosity thick through his lips and eyes heavy with amazement.

 

The dragon comes to a halt, the gill-like, sharp feature across it's cheek coming to a close as it puts his head down and bows slightly; almost in a sort of respect at the mention of his family.

 

"It's okay." Harry quickly shrugs, "I don't have many friends either. Killian isn't allowed outside anymore after he transformed into a chimera to scare his sister."

 

The dragon finished the apple slice, but continued to chew on the palm of Harry's hand as though it was still there; it's head and toothless gums digging into the young boy's pale hand.

 

Harry chuckled before taking a thumb to brush down the small patch of hair gliding down a scaly, purple neck. "I will be your friend, if you want. I'll even bring you apples everyday."

 

The dragon beamed at the word, the sun shining in now-dilated eyes. Giving Harry a small nip as though he was saying "yes, please!" and a small flutter of thin wings.

 

Harry let out a small laugh again, nose scrunching and hand over his heart, his new friend leaning against his chest with a new found trust.

 

"I will call you... Malus. Because that is the name of the tree in which apples grow on." Harry nods, earning a disapproving sound from the throat of his dragon friend.

 

"We may work on it."

 

With apple still by their side and knife tucked into the leather loop of the satchel, Malus hopped around happily and like a little rabbit upon the soft, red sweater Harry wore.

 

The leaves that fell from the October soaked trees crunched from below the boy's body as he hugged the dragon close to him, closing his eyes as he giggled with the rays of yellow sun beat onto his rosy cheeks.

 

"What the hell were you doing?"

 

Harry froze, the dragon clinging onto his side as he hears a deep, disgruntled voice from behind them.

The boy stands, Malus staying still and hiding behind Harry's leg; trusting the Alpha with everything he has ever known before.

 

"Father," Harry genuflected quickly, green eyes filled immediately with fear as his heart pounded faster than a thousand griffins after their prey.

 

"I thought I sent you for training this morning." Desmond towers over his son, knuckles bruised and head held high. Eyes a lost black staring at a fielded green.

 

"I heard him crying... I-I think he may have been abandoned." Harry hid his friend, trying to seem taller; braver. But he was scared, he was so damn scared.

 

Desmond stepped forward, his eyes dark and right cheek streaked with dirt. Harry flinches hard when a hand is raised, whimpering a 'no!'

 

But the hand didn't come down to strike him, it came down instead as a harsh push to the side.

 

Harry fell down on the dried mud, tears already threatening to build up in terrified green eyes; but that all stopped when the soul of his body came to a still at the sight of his father having a hand wrapped around Malus's neck.

 

"S-stop! Father! Please, he's innocent!" Harry screamed, rushing towards the two only be struck down again with an ear-piercing backhand; a slash of blood running down the rosiness of his left cheek.

 

Harry cries aloud, large doe eyes struck with fear as he backed away slow; clutching his wound as the salt from his tears burned down upon it.

 

"It's innocent," Harry quietly sobbed, shaking his head; begging, pleading.

 

"Nothing is innocent, boy. We all carry sins of violent desire. Damned. Even the pure." Desmond whispers, his voice gruff as he gets on his knees; holding down Malus's wings while staring into sun bathed eyes.

 

"It is an infant, as of now. But soon it will be up there in the sky," the dragon crawled hesitantly onto Desmond's lap, it's short tail prickling through as it rests its chin on the alpha's knee.

 

Harry lets out shaky breaths as he watched his friend trust someone who smells like him almost immediately; how they were resting in the eye of the hurricane when strikes of lightening were shooting at them in all directions.

 

"It will bring fire, it's only the dragons nature. Destruction." Desmond closes his eyes for a moment, taken a deep, shaky breath as he feels the dragon's heart beat, "they can't help it. That is how they survive."

 

"Y-you're going to kill him." Harry fights back a scream, his voice giving up on him as it comes out a defeated mourn.

 

"No," Desmond turns to face his son, Malus's throat in hand. "you are."

 

The king reaches out to Harry's satchel, grabbing the pocket knife the boy used to cut the apples into slices and."Get the fuck down here."

 

At once Harry feels the back of his head be pushed down to the ground, forcing him on his knees and body pressed against the roughened turf.

 

"Right here, is the vein." Desmond whispers in Harry's ear, opening up his boy's hand; forcing the blade between his fingers.

 

Harry widens his eyes in horror, shaking his head and trying to pull back to run, but he was too weak and a victim from the hold of his father.

 

Malus looks up, unknowing and ignorant to what is to come. He stares at his friend, letting out another happy hum, though distressed at the way Harry looks down at him as he sobs.

 

"N-no, please. I d-don't want to, sir. I-I don't want t-to, father." Harry looks at Desmond, only to be growled at; the king tightening his hold and pulling his son's hair roughly.

 

"You do what I say, boy. Get the fuck down."

 

"Don't make me do this, p-please papa! I don't want t-to!" Harry feels the knife dig into his fingers as he struggles, causing him to bleed out.

 

"N-no! I-I can't breathe, Father! I can't breathe!"

 

Desmond pushes Harry by the chest when he sees his son's blood paint the grass a deep crimson, sharing the blade.

 

"Dragons are funny," Desmond whispers as he envelopes Harry's small, pale hand with his own; covered in ash and scars. "They don't struggle when they die."

 

"They accept it. They don't put up a fight. They bow their head in respect,"

 

The young dragon, as though on cue, closed his eyes. The glare from the sun no longer beating upon his face as its horns faced down. Harry felt his eyes burn as he stared into black, beady ones filled with life.

 

"But fuck, do they scream," Desmond finally mumbles as he digs the blade into the embossed vein that once pumped youthful blood to the dragon's heart.

 

Ribbons of dark violet shoots out of the neck of the creature, and the dragon lets out a roar. It was spineless, shaking through the roots of the apple trees and crawling up the crust of the earth.

 

Harry closes his eyes, crying along with the dragon, his skin coated with Malus's own blood; letting the pools of tears stream down with the ichor.

 

"They're letting the earth know they were here." Desmond drops the blade to the lifeless body, bowing his own head.

 

"I want you to look down at him and remember this moment. Remember how it made you feel ending your first life. Carry that with you."

 

"W-why?" Harry's voice comes out in a broken hush, if any quieter the breeze could have carried it away into the branches of the oak trees and down the river stream.

 

"Because," Desmond stands, looking down at his son hugging the dragon close to his chest, sobbing until his voice sounded like static; blood coating pale hands. "I want the earth to know I was here too."

 

"And next time I catch you out here, I will kill you, boy. I'll fucking kill you."

 

—

 

 _ **SOME**_ _**MAY**_ **_TAKE_** **_IT_** as a smile; the scar that traced up from the corner of the Alpha King's mouth. It was a rooted scar, dug down and carved across the right, connecting to the very corner of his lip.

 

It made it seem as though the Alpha wore a half smile under every circumstance. A forced, demonic grin.

 

But there was a way that his flesh buried a deep crimson that made this smile appear more animalistic; and unforgettable leer of demise.

 

A sharp ringing of the blank noise stabs through Harry's body, its teeth biting at underneath of his skin.

 

His jaw shifts as his veins tighten, eyes basked in an ebony glow. But on his hands was a deep crimson that dropped in leaks of red to the floor of the dungeon cell.

 

"My king," Harry hears this voice behind him as a pitched ringing; his vision blurring all around him as the walls seemed to closed his body in.

 

"My king.. your Luna has been requesting for you," the Beta guard bows, not daring to step closer to the Alpha. "he.. he hasn't slept. Refuses to until you speak."

 

Harry feels his chest tighten as the ribbons of ichor trails down his arms onto the outlines of his embossed veins.

 

"Why?" The Beast murdered low, eyes not moving from his palm; lips moving just enough to let out a breath of words.

 

"I do not know, sire... he is in the East Hall with the Betas. They say our Luna has been awake all of dawn." The guard whispered, a certain fear crawling up his throat at the sigh of his King sitting in a pile of gore.

 

The torches on the side of the cell flickers as the fire crackles as though it was chucking at the apprehension in the atmosphere.

 

Harry stares up at the torch then, watching how the flames burst in darkened blues and oranges; the hues dancing on his pale skin but feeling as frigid as ever.

 

The light tries to bore through the sable of his eyes. But it was as though they were blackholes; consuming the light before it could reach on the outside. A prey is no match for its predator.

 

Harry drags his hands down in three lines down his eyes and like war paint, the blood smothering down his cheeks and down his chin.

 

"Leave me with my prisoner." Was all that was said as the light from the flames spotlighted to the corner of the cell, a boy with his head between his knees.

 

The guard bows and exits with haste, footsteps vibrating and bouncing through the empty space. Each step echoing through the hollowness of Harry's mind. His eyes close with the steps, body cowering away at how the sharp ringing returns.

 

"I'm not here to kill you." The king murmurs at the boy, "I won't ever kill you, Samuel."

 

Sam lifted his head slightly, his body flinching at the deep sound of the deep, nefarious voice.

 

"Death is far too delicious, too filling. I wish I could starve you out," Harry murmur indistinctly. "watch you crawl."

 

"There is nothing in the Lands that looks more beautiful than one basked in their own blood." Harry stood from his place and fell to his knees onto the dirt floor.

 

He reached out his hand and captured a fistful of the matted blonde hair from the boy; forcing his face up to look into his eyes.

 

"And as much as I do wish to make you absolutely alluring..." Harry whispers as he drags his finger across the embossed vein of Sam's neck, face unchanging at the fearfulsobs.

 

"I can't." Harry mutters as he released the fistful of hair, letting the boy cower back to his corner in the cell; away from the light of the fire.

 

Harry backs to the the keen cage bars, tightening his jaw as the jasper knife tucked into a pocket in his baldric moves with him.

 

"Sometimes I would believe it would be better if I was dead as well." The King laughs spinelessly, the humor fading into something exceedingly demonic it chills the air surrounding.

 

"K-Kill me," Sam spoke in a mutter, his tone lifeless; eyes dead.

 

"Why would I kill you?" Harry's own eyes blink a flash of vermillion before his lip curls into a sadistic smile, "You're the only friend I have."

 

"You see— you," Harry takes out the jasper knife and presses it against his palm. "you and I have something in common." He tilts his head up with the cryptic, black spherules drowning. "We both are alone."

 

The small cut of the cell that allowed air and sunlight poured down a release of frigid winter air into the cell.

 

The wind whined and shrilled a great melody of chimes and high cries.

 

Harry breathed in the air then, the drops of water of rain that followed fell down onto his face and muddled with the blood upon him. Streams of what appeared to be reddened tears falling.

 

"My," Harry began to whisper, his voice lost in a world of its own. "my mother would always send me out with a guard at this time. Even if I was going just across to the market place."

 

It was then like a wave devoured the Alpha whole. Memories of a forgotten time fell with every drop of rain and bit at Harry's throat ruthlessly. It should be painful.

 

Don't remember.

 

Don't fucking remember.

 

"The world is a lovely place filled with unloved people, she used to tell me." The Alpha continues, eyes widening as he closed them in a moment, nails digging into his skin.

 

"I used to believe I was the unloved one in this lovely land. I was.. I—" Harry pulled at his bottom lip and shook violently before his emerald stones burned scarlet. "I couldn't feel anything."

 

"Once during the brinks of the Winter Storms, my mother sent me out with my sister to that market place once again. It used to stand beyond the castle walls, before the trees devoured the other side of the hill where the poppy flowers once grew..." Harry clutched his jasper knife harder, the streams of blood flowing to underneath the soles of his shoes as a melancholy smile dug it's way into the sides of his face.

 

"She always gave us gold and silver coins. My sister would laugh about how we could buy the whole place," He chuckled as lamented droplets falls from his eyes.

 

"Mother told us to bring back white berries to feed the griffins down in the forest. But it started to snow, then the snow turned into ice, and we both ran back to the castle." Harry furrowed his eyebrows, the knife digging into his skin feeling static and frozen in a sudden.

 

"I remember how cold it was," ...he whispered as the fire crackled and spit out red sparks when the paralyzed wind blew gelid air below.

 

Don't remember.

 

"My sister and mother would pity me. I would get cold fast until my cheeks turned blue. They used to do this thing," Harry put the palm of his hand up to his cheek in a long tremble of grief.

 

A stain of blood brushed across his cheekbone as he leaned into his own touch, red lips shuddering with a deeply sad smile painting over them.

 

"They'd hold their hands there till we were safe. I-I," Harry took in a tremulous breath, "I could be caught in the middle of a tempest or a blizzard. But once they, they held me like that. Gentle, always so fucking gentle,"

 

Harry stroked his jaw softly, mimicking the benevolence of his remembrance; eyes lost into a deep sea of recollection.

 

"Mother saw me as human." He mutters.. "I never thought that would be good. Father would always curse at them.. the humans.. tell us stories on how they were the poison of the world."

 

Harry shook his head as he chaotically grinned with a masked sadness was buried six feet under. "But she didn't make them seem like that at all. They weren't evil. They weren't perfect, they weren't supposed to be... Despite every mistake, they..."

 

Forget.

 

There was a pause before Harry looked back up at the window cut, feeling the icy wind dig into his words before he spoke; "they were the loved ones of this unloved world."

 

"And she wanted me to know that. Just with that one touch of my blue skin." Soft. It all was so damned into a tophet and soft.

 

"It's cold now. It's so fucking c-cold.." Harry shivered, thrashing at his head with a fist repeatedly, letting out brutal and heart heavy rasps.

 

He feels a sharpened end of a flowed tear stream down the corner of his eye. It lingered there, against the bloodied cheekbone, growing until it hit the end of his chin with his mouth slightly open; as though it was the product of a choked confession.

 

"We came back to the castle after the snow fall, holding the white berries against blanketed in our coats." Harry holds his body tight, trying not to burst from the seams. Holding himself hostage from tearing himself apart piece by piece. "Laughing... Fuck, we laughed until it hurt to breathe."

 

"But then we saw mother crying on the ground, a river of glass all over her favorite blue gown. Her cheeks bleeding in these straight cut lines, the precision so perfect, so clean," Harry's head then turned and flinched at the remembrance of the sight. His teeth grew as the smell of adoration injected his veins.

 

"I can't forget the way they dug into her skin and the way they fell... so damn perfect.. and still she froze when she saw her children."

 

Harry swallowed before staring at the smothered flames again.

 

"That's when I found out my father would strike her every single day. At noon, right before the market opened."

 

Silence. It consumed for a moment, but didn't digest.

 

"She'd send my sister and I there so we didn't have to see it." Harry muttered the words so soft that the howls of the winds ate them wholeheartedly.

 

"And I.. I held my hand to her cheek, just like she would do to me... trying to take her hurt away, to make her feel warm again." Harry strained, voice growing more and more animalistic with every second that passed.

 

"But she told me she was cold. She said she was so fucking cold. Her body trembled the moment I touched her."

 

Harry looked down at his hands once again, which were torn and burned with blistering heat of bewilderment.

 

"She screamed, then. Like a lamb heading to the slaughterhouse. She screamed as loud as she could with my hand on her." Harry stuttered as the panic seeped into his eyes. "She wouldn't stop until her throat went out. Until the cut lines started to gash out her blood again. I told her to stop.. I-I..."

 

With his red lips open slightly, wet and releasing a lacing of pale smoke from the gelid air, Harry looked up at the covered sky and felt nothing.

 

"She looked at me that day, and didn't see me as a human." He closed his eyes, letting in the familiar feeling with an embrace, "She saw me as the Alpha Prince."

 

The demonic voices seeped it's way down his throat and came back out in three separate voices as Harry lashed and growled with sinister eyes. "Why was she cold as ice? Why was she—" Don't remember, don't remember. "Why was she so fucking cold?"

 

Harry then took out the same jasper knife, flicking in to show the sharp, silver blade that cut through the air as it revealed itself from beneath its golden covering.

 

"I thought I was burying anger all this time, but I think I'm just burying the truth."

 

Harry looked at Sam; who was whimpering in sobs and body stuttering with terror.  "I was never a man to begin with. I am the beast my mother saw that day and always have been. I don't have skin,"

 

The knife then traced down Harry's cheek, making one perfect, clean slit.

 

"I only have blood."

 

Harry felt electricity spark inside his veins, rushing through every part of him and struck him existing; as though he was waiting for this lightening strike to bring him back alive.

 

As the ichor fell in ribbons down his neck and through the corners of his smile, Harry's blackened eyes murmured towards to scared boy..

 

"But you know what scared me the most, Samuel?" The Alpha bitterly seethed, "I don't remember feeling cold or afraid when mother started to cry."

 

Harry feels a certain static noise creep beneath before he confesses with a deep fleet of words;

 

"My skin was burning the hottest it had ever been." The corners of the Alpha's mouth lift up, "I think she looked the best when she was bleeding."

 

Harry reaches out to Sam once again, ignoring the boy's cries and pleads as he presses the jasper against the bobbing of his Adam's Apple.

 

Samuel's body fought the grasp of the King, letting our screams of terror and shaking with every single one.

 

"And the only time I ever felt warm like that again," Harry breathlessly seethed in Sam's ear, like a snake wrapping around it's prey. "is when I have a knife to a throat."

 

"D-don't," Sam sobbed, knowing he was the fly caught in the web of a black widow.

 

"I spent a lot of my days wondering that if I could have a taste of the blood she had bled that night, what would become of me?" Harry chuckles under his breath before shoving the boy across the cell, watching the helpless body crawl to the corner and weep.

 

"And then I wondered, how can I become the beast,"

 

Harry stands and looks down at the puddle of blood that was lit by the small cracks of flames on the torch; looking down at his distorted reflection before muttering:

 

"If I was always him after all this time?"

 

The blurred, sharp ringing returns in the Alpha's mind, his vision morphed into a deep red before he stares deep into his reflection once again...

 

"See, the world is on fire; it is burning to the ground." Harry spoke to himself in a hush, cupping his hands into the gore puddle.

 

"And the funny thing about humans, are that none of them really wish to kill one another. But alphas..."

 

Harry then softly touches his cheek with the fresh blood, his body feeling all too hot and intoxicating; the ringing sound stabbed through his heart but all he could say with the scar on his face smiling for him:

 

"Blood is all we know."

 

"From the ashes we had risen," Harry stands and walls to the torch that had one flame still standing; flickering there like a child's birthday candle.

 

Harry poured the remaining ashes into the gored puddle, watching how the flame was smothered and sunk with the rest of the ashes to the bottom.

 

"But from Blood we drowned."

 

The torch was then thrown to a corner as Harry steps out to leave, a burn dancing in his throat like the flame was on top of the ashes.

 

But just as the bars of the cell closes; Sam hurried and clutches them before yelling out before the King:

 

"He'll kill you! Louis, he'll kill you for what you are. I remember everything! Every fucking thing!"

 

The corner of Harry's mouth turned into a demonic grin; stopping dead in his tracks before letting out a laugh that was colder than any winter storm.

 

He turned back and gave a bow, lifting his chin up as wild hair falls all over his face;

 

"Then long live the King."

 

—

 

**_//PART 2\\\_ **

**_CANDLELIGHT AND DRAGONS_ **

**_DECEMBER 5TH_ **

****

 


	28. Candlelight and Dragons — PART TWO

**TWENTY** - **SEVEN** : **PART** **TWO**

Candlelight and Dragons

 _In_ _a_ _mad_ _world_ , _only_ _the_ _mad_ _are_ _sane_.

 

 

—

 ** _December_** , _**Winter**_

 ** _Entry_** _**One**_

 

I believed in the screaming.

 

Perhaps it took me a long time to understand whose screaming it belonged to.

 

I've killed a man today. I do not recognize his face. He wears a blank expression, no smile or light in his eyes.

 

The blood on my hands doesn't wash away without tomorrow's burning light; and the screaming doesn't wash away without the shouting of the winds.

 

It scares me to death, perhaps I am waking up. The voice is my own. But it only comes out in distant echos; blanketing over the mountain peaks.

 

I have killed myself today and I cannot reach him.

 

But I can reach the crown.

And that is everything.

 

—

 

 ** _LOUIS_** **_ALWAYS_** **_HAD_** Remembered the Winter Storms as something beautiful.

 

It was the transition from where the flowers that were once trapped in frozen shells of ice thaw and bloom under the moonlight.

 

Stellarum appeared to be laying underneath a hazy dome of striking blues and pinks. Each rain drop that fell heavy against the stubborn snow washed away into rivers until they overflowed; pouring down the hills into the forest and revealing an emerald sheet of flora.

 

Spring blossomed from disaster; and invited in the fauna as the sunlight would be blanketed over the creatures as soon as the bitter freeze would melt into the earth.

 

Louis feels the frosted chill burst from the window at once, rushing into the Locus and having the candle light blow out once again; leaving the room darker. It appeared lonelier than it has ever looked before.

 

The omega wraps a thick blanket around his body once again; feet pattering towards the opening and closing both doors of the glass, trapping the sharp blades of ice outside.

 

"Stay, stay," Louis slowly whispered to the brisk flame that sat on the wet wick of the candle, wincing slightly as hot vanilla wax dripped down to the corners of his finger tips.

 

The flame goes out with a simple blink, Louis letting out a chilled exhale that came out in a puff of arctic cloud; disappearing instantly like a ghoul in the woods.

 

He had woken up to an intense ache beating at the pit of his stomach, purple bruises brushed like strokes of fresh watercolors; each one soaking into the diggings of fingernail markings. All cruel reminders of last night.

 

Louis grazed over the markings, feeling the way they sting as though someone poured salt in fresh wounds. The omega let out a loud wince, cursing at how his eyes drift to the unmade bed.

 

"Don't think about it," the omega would force himself to hover over the candle, closing his eyes above the orange illumination, his lids washed peach. "Don't think about him."

 

But there was always the thought Harry rushing in like a tempest; the velvet blankets that were creased and holding the scent of a fresh earth after the downpours of the cruel sky.

 

There was always the thought of Harry's calloused hand stroking his cheek, Louis' lips the color of a wilted rose as they were bitten at the remembrance.

 

"Sometimes, Omega, you are the only thing that makes me wish to see the morning sun."

 

And then there it was again, the feeling of a dagger twisting slowly around the pit of his stomach. Harry didn't touch him last night, Harry only protected him.

 

Perhaps it was only his touch. Or the small smiles he gave one in a blue moon towards Louis' direction. The red of his lips, a deep scarlet dripping like melting hard candy.

 

The reassuring whispers that not even the goddesses of the moons could witness. The way he held Louis down in the best way, an anchor that kept his stitches from the night before from tearing.

 

Lightening flashed through the tainted windows and appeared as ribbons of magenta hues. Louis felt obliged to walk out, wander as far away as he could go and try to avoid the worry strumming beneath his skin and the heat dancing upon his cheeks.

 

But there he sat, eyes trained on the red silk of the bed covers; the scent of the King still laced between the folds.

 

There was a loud roar of the ice that slapped against the stained glass windows of the Locus; one blow crawling through the cracks from underneath the opening, devouring the flickering fire of the candle.

 

Louis jumped in fear, knocking over the lantern immediately along with the box of matches at the sudden thundering sound piecing through the hollowness the room.

 

"Damn," Louis mumbled a curse, chills crawling up his veins at the sudden loss of heat, arms crossing over his stomach in immediate instinct.

 

The omega bent down, blindly using his hand as a guide to grab a single wooden matchstick.

 

Backing away slowly towards the door, Louis pushes his head against the cool steel; a tired sigh blended with a wide streak of pain jolting through his spine at the way his sore muscles tensed at the feel.

 

A flash of lightning rips through thick clouds that were sponges to the downpour, thunder cracking through the moments laters in one collective roar.

 

But behind that roar lied pattering murmurs out the door.

 

The Omega stood upright immediately, the moonlight's sheer illumination painting a spotlight on his complexion.

 

Louis swiftly listened hesitantly as he came closer to the hinges of the door that stood tall; peaking out to see torches aflame and the murmuring growing stronger.

 

Then, the thin sound of laughter suddenly ensued in the air; taking the boy aback in surprise, like a dormant volcano would as it erupts.

 

The boy grabs ahold of his blanket and wraps it tighter against his body like a makeshift gown, holding his lantern close to him before reaching to the head of the staircase that led out of the Locus.

 

"...then he said to me, as scared as a bogle, 'is that your wife?' And I took a swig of that Goblin's Ale and let out a giant cackle and said to him, 'that's not my wife, you pantyhose, it's not even a woman, that's Thomas!'"

 

Louis hears loud claps and cackles emerge right after a deep voice finishes a tale with a heart laugh, like a coven of witches around their cauldron.

 

With bare feet, the Omega makes his way slowly down the staircase; listening intently, one hand clutching his blanket and the other one the railing.

 

"So let me just get the story correct Felix, you snogged a whole Alpha for half an hour and didn't notice that, well, he had a beard?" A female voice ridiculed with a chuckle, causing everyone around her to also dissolve into muffled chortles.

 

"To be quite fair, Thomas makes a beautiful bearded woman, Nina." Louis then felt a wave of relief wash over him when hearing the fourth voice speak up; Killian.

 

The Luna reaches towards the spiral end of the stairs, the cold immediately seeping into his skin. Curiosity painting all over his mind as he watched the strange group converse.

 

"I do, I do, it's all thanks to my plump lips. It's a curse, really." Thomas sighs quite dramatically, tone playful and light.

 

Louis' body was hidden by a pillar that stood in front of him, his eyes studying the circle of beings that sat around one lantern that kept them aglow.

 

A dark skinned woman with lavender hair (which appeared to be a milky silver under the moonlight) wore a silk dress that draped over her umber legs. Her eyes wore an illuminating ivory; making her appear as some sort of enchantress.

 

Next to her was a rather large, brawny man with a hooked nose and crooked smile. Without any hair on his pale head, a thick and blonde beard took up his entire face. His appearance may have made him look to be intimidating, but the shine in honey brown eyes gave out a certain warmth.

 

Killian, was well, Killian. With a flask in one hand and a bottle of rum in the other, he seemed as sober as ever.

 

The shape shifter's raven hair was pushed away from his face, revealing turquoise eyes lined with charcoal. The man's all black attire seemed to give his tanned skin an other-worldly look: gracing over his body. He wore a smile, pressing his bottle against red lips with a lively personality.

 

Before giving Louis a change to gaze at the rest of the group, the woman with lilac hair gave a small beam before saying,

 

"You can come out now, dear, we don't bite. Can't promise the same for Felix, I suppose."

 

Suddenly the whole cluster's lounges came to a halt and four heads peered over to the pillar. Louis' own eyes widened and face grew hot with embarrassment, coming out of his 'hiding place'.

 

"Oh, um, hello," The boy nervously muttered, scratching the back of his neck while looking down at his feet bashfully.

 

"You're awake," Killian's playful mood melts away like candle wax under flame into concern, eyes flashing worry before he stands.

 

"I hope he isn't waiting for a bow, Kills, you know these ankles aren't the same ever since the first few centuries of living." Felix, a lanky Alpha with fiery red had and chestnut freckles, pouts.

 

Killian takes off the tattered shawl that he had sprawled upon his shoulders, blanketing it on a shuddering Louis before guiding the omega to a place next to him in the circle.

 

"A curtsy will do just fine," Louis retorts sarcastically, hugging his knees that were against his chest.

 

"Hey! Look at that, he's a funny one!" The Red Head laughed, surprised.

 

"He wasn't kidding, Fe. Give us a curtsy, pretty boy." The Man with the Beard elbows, taking a swig of rum before chuckling.

 

"Bugger off, Thomas."

 

"You should be resting, Lou." Killian murmurs just so Louis could hear it, the rest of the group bickering back and forth on their own.

 

"I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me, father. I am indeed a grown up." Louis says as he teasingly nudges the Alpha.

 

"Hm," Killian hums, looking at the Omega with starry eyes and eyes brows raised, "I suppose you are." The Shape Shifter grabs a hold of his flask, shaking the liquid around the metal interior before holding in under Louis' nose. "Drink this."

 

Louis rose a brow, skeptical; smelling nothing from the elixir. "What is it?"

 

"Helps with Imp Sugar hangovers. Seems like yours will kick in soon if you don't treat it soon. And I promise you baby, it's not pretty." Killian warns as the Omega rolls his eyes at the thick humor still alive in the Alpha's words.

 

Louis takes the flask, wrapping reddened lips around the opening and feeling the cold rush of brew seeping into his tongue; burning at the back of his throat.

 

The boy immediately returned the small bottle, cringing in disgust before looking at Killian with a distrustful glare.

 

"Bloody hell.." Louis shuddered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, "that was absolute acid."

 

"Would think so, it's alicorn horn powder with gorgon spit. Sailors used to drink this to avoid Siren calls. Your alcohol stir caused quite a bit of disarray last night, so I believe this was appropriate."

 

Louis freezes slightly at the mention of the night before, cheeks flushing a bright dust of pink coating his pale skin.

 

"You'll get used to it. Starts to taste like lemon meringue after a while. Give it a chance, smack your lips." Killian obliviously shrugged, not noticing the Omega's embarrassment.

 

"So you wouldn't care for a drink?" The Lavender-Haired Woman, who Louis assumes to be Nina, spoke up; a blue bottle in her hand.

 

"I-" Louis spoke up before his mouth was shut by Killian's hand.

 

"No, he doesn't." The Alpha grabs the bottle of rum before it reaches Louis. "Believe me, this is a very handy precaution."

 

"Oh, shut it." Louis' voice came out muffled before licking the hand, trying to get a disgusted reaction out of Killian; only for the hand to remain in place. 

 

"You can go lower darling, I'm not much of a complainer," the Shape Shifter simply says rather cheeky.

 

Louis sighs before jabbing the man's abdomen with two fingers; satisfied with the painful grunt and hand away from his lips.

 

"Not what I had in mind but the affection is still much appreciated." Killian mumbles, giving a small nod of approval.

 

Nina then clears her throat, smirking at Killian and then looked at Louis. "It seems manners have left your mind. Introduce us to our queen, will you?"

 

Both Thomas and Felix also stop their bantering, drunk eyes lazily lighting up as they set their posture straight.

 

Louis' curiosity lit aflame as well, ears perking up in an intrigued interest; looking back at the circle with a profound smile of wonder.

 

"Here you're looking at the Keepers of Stellarum. Nina holds our first line of defense, in the West and East Seas." Killian gestures to the Woman, whose eyes glimmer with a deep blue lining, proud and full of power.

 

Louis bows his head towards her, filled with respect and admiration as Nina does the same.

 

"And then there is Thomas and Felix as her Right Hands. They're War Lords."

 

As Louis looked closer, their appearances came together a lot more now with background. Each of the three wore deep engravings in the shape of a moon below their ear.

 

That was the Stellarum symbol for crusade heroes. Only the noble and the superior war assassins held the honor of earning them.

 

And the symbol looked familiar, as if the Omega had seen it somewhere once before.

 

"I also run a quite nice pub by the day, open for birthday celebrations." Thomas adds proudly, earning eye rolls and groans from his two companions. "What?"

 

"Keepers?" Louis still said with widened eyes, "you're responsible for the winning of the Human War. You all led an army with only a few thousand against a few million."

 

"We were outnumbered, yes," Nina grinned warmly, "But I believe that any war could be easily won when you have a heavier hearts desire for the greater good. Passion is what is seen on the battlefield, not people."

 

"That sounds like," Louis murmurs with astonishment alive in his tone.

 

"Magic?" Nina smiles at blue eyes staring at her with wonder. "Could be."

 

"With all due respect, what are you all doing.. here? With Killian?" the Omega questioned very seriously, earning cackles spewing out of the pack's mouths like wildfire.

 

"Don't sound too surprised, dove. I am good company." The Shape Shifter narrowed his eyes when the laughs only grew louder.

 

"The man has the rum." Felix stated, everyone nodding in agreement.

 

"And he owes me fifteen silver coins from a century or so ago, which I am still waiting for."

 

"Oh give it up, Thomas."

 

Louis fixed his eyes on the moon scar, watching out it stood embossed. A rim of red circling around to represent the Blood Moon, and how courage can come from the most violent of things.

 

But then, there was familiarity that lingered. The Omega widened his eyes before he felt his nerves freeze altogether in perfect harmony.

 

"Harry," Louis spoke up suddenly, the room growing quiet immediately at the mere mention of their King's name. "Harry fought in the wars as well."

 

An eerie atmosphere builds up with heavy tension surrounding the walls that enclosed the circle. A sign that screams caution goes ignored.

 

All humor melts away from everyone's faces, and Killian clenches his jaw before tensing. He looks down, eyes trained on the lantern.

 

"Yes," Nina dares to reply, both Felix and Thomas staring at their leader with surprise. "He did. And the best in the force too."

 

"Nina, stop." Felix softly said, eyes faltering over to Killian, who remained silent.

 

Louis felt his own gaze become frigid and stony. Harry had a moon engraving; hidden under wild hair reddened scars.

 

The boy looked back at Nina, nodding his head slightly, understanding but aching for her to continue.

 

"He was faster than their bullets. Bringing back kills like a predator. Some days we would wake at dawn and see him in the middle of the the fields, covered in blood; hundreds of men with guns and arrows laying in circles around his body in the center, lifeless."

 

Louis felt his skin grow cold, trying not to think about the way scars trail down from the King's cheek to his neck; wounds still seeming all too fresh.

 

Nina seemed indifferent, her expression unreadable. Yet her grey eyes held another depth of color, a silver lining of purple remorse... regret.

 

"And then one day he left it all without another word. Came back to the castle, and never dared to speak about it again."

 

"Why'd he leave?" Louis whispered, lips feeling warm and heart heavy, it's beating that could be heard from miles away.

 

"The funny thing about war is that it is not meant to be enjoyed." Killian's voice shifted out of the silence, biting and cruel.

 

It grew deep and powerful, coming out as a growl of its own as his eyes darkened. A side that Louis had never seen from the Alpha before. "He left because he became addicted. And suddenly the blood of the enemy wasn't enough."

 

"Killian," Nina warns, tone wavering but also silent, hearing the strain of pain in her old friend's voice. Knowing.

 

"No, I'll tell his story." The Alpha replies, looking up at the crowd, not meeting Louis' eyes. "Killing a man is never a victory, Omega. Each life you take holds meaning. It's fucking meant to be terrifying, scarring."

 

Killian swallowed, his voice breaking before he lets out a humorless laugh with no meaning as he looks past the stained glass window by his side; watching Fire Birds crawl to burrows, away from the heavy rain that falls unforgivingly.

 

"But he just stood there," Killian mutters, the whites of his eyes reddened, furrowing his eyebrows as he remembered the aging memories. "watching men fall to their knees with the light behind their eyes darkened."

 

The Alpha closes his eyes, looking down, "No pity. No heart, only a suffocating thirst for anything with a damned soul."

 

"War didn't change him. It woke him up."

 

"There has to be something more," Louis says, shaking before hugging his own body tightly to hold himself together. "He.. there's more to him. There has to be."

 

"There is nothing more, Louis." Killian's own eyes flash red for a moment, causing the Omega to flinch away. "I've seen it. Every single fucked up piece."

 

"Killian, no. Don't do that to yourself." Thomas softly susurrates, Louis was still glass eyed and face painted with hurt. "What happened to Lillian... wasn't your fault."

 

The cold then grew to be freezing once that name was said. A spineless curse ran through the strokes of oxygen that everyone breathed, the flicker of flame in the lantern bitterly was cut.

 

Louis watched the tone go grey, his rose lips parting in sorrow at the broken expression left on Killian's murderous face.

 

"I know," the Alpha's voice dropped all of its emotion and grew heavy with venom; "it was his."

 

"Don't."

 

The room froze, held captive by silence and fear. Louis felt his heart drop as the dreaded quietness washed over the lot, colors drained from one lively faces. The crackle of the lantern flames was the only thing that could be heard.

 

It was as though time stood still, as Louis finally allowed his blood shot eyes to lift up, hooded with disbelief.

 

Everyone in the cluster stood up as the animalistic voice was to be heard. The three War Lords kneeled and bowed their heads, submitting before their king and once old comrade.

 

"Harry—" Louis breathed out, the moonlight hiding the Alpha's but as the Omega tried to stand closer; he could see streams of blood going down the side of his mouth.

 

Louis widened his eyes, walking closer to the entrance where Harry came from. But then Killian held out a hand, stopping Louis from going any step closer to the Beast, gripping the Omega from his hips.

 

"He's hurt, he's hurt, Killian! Let me through!" Louis pushes against the Shape Shifter, only to be constrained behind; the grasp to strong to break through.

 

"Don't?" Killian laughed sedated and bitterly at the large silhouette, "Don't ever tell me when to stop telling the truth. Someone has to."

 

The lantern didn't offer the same glow of light to Harry, causing the king to be hidden within the company of deep shadows. But there he stood, tall and hurt; a wolf trapped.

 

"Before I am your King," Harry's red eyes glared over to where the Keepers stood, turning to them with poison in his voice."I am your commander of war. Leave us."

 

Nina, Felix, and Thomas both bowed their heads once again, their bodies immediately following the orders from their leader. Killian standing his ground, holding Louis away from the Alpha.

 

"You've always liked to play with fire," Killian states with spite, "but were never willing to get burnt."

 

"You don't protect what is mine from me," Harry darkens his timbre, eyes on the Omega, looking at Louis with a burning impulse. "unless you are willing to fight for that right."

 

"You can't kill everyone that jeopardizes you, my Lord." Sarcasm dropped from Killian's mouth, Louis looking up from his secure arms with his lips parted in surprise.

 

"You said it yourself." The King says before using the back of his hand to wipe away scarlet from torn lips. "That is all I do."

 

"The boy is not Lil, Harry." Killian murmured, low and threatening; enveloping Louis within his clutches as though his world depended on it. "He's not- hell—, he's not her."

 

"I know that," Harry growls, his nails pressing against his skin as he bows his head, looking away from Louis; wounded.

 

"Do you?" Killian says, holding Louis closer to him. "He's not here for you to fuck over."

 

"If you don't give him to me, I will take him myself." Harry kept his stance firm, unwavering and fearless. Even in the dark shadows, one could see the vermillion colors of his demonic eyes.

 

"You wanted to see the Beast who is hungry for anything with a soul," The Alpha King bellowed with a chilling humor, "and I will be more than glad to show you him."

 

"You'll kill him," Killian snarled, "it's in your fucking blood."

 

Louis was shaking, both in fear and in pure bewilderment; watching how reddened eyes stared into his before dark words began to mumble;

 

"I wouldn't hurt him," Harry murmurs, face still hidden within the dark; bloodied arms running rivers of crimson down his veins.

 

"Not him," Harry repeated, his eyes never leaving Louis' for a moment; as if they were the last two being still breathing on the lands.

 

"Never him."

 

"I may be the Beast," he gives a hollow deride before, gaze lingering at his Omega until looking back at Killian."but you will always be the victim."

 

"We'll see how well that role will play out for you." The Shape Shifter whispers, closing his eyes before releasing Louis, stepping back. Yet his eyes still remained on the Luna.

 

"We will." Harry muttered, watching how his boy made of cerulean stands back, looking at Killian with a betrayed gaze; confused and frightened.

 

It was quiet for a moment, the Omega stared up at the raven haired alpha, waiting for something, anything. But all Killian did was offer the boy just a moment more of a look, as if to apologize; to say goodbye, before disappearing to the corridors. Empty words still hanging in the air that left the Omega breathing in stutters.

 

The echoes of shoes hitting the marbled floor dissolved into nothingness, the occasional lightning strikes offering white light to hit upon Louis' cheeks as he stood in his place, silent.

 

The Omega picks up the lantern that was once placed in the middle of the Circle, careful not to tip it so that the melted wax smothers the thin flame; which seemed to dance on the wick as it faltered.

 

It seemed that Harry was miles away, away on an island of his own; surrounded by bodies of water that enveloped him until he looked like a distant memory.

 

Louis stepped closer, the light following with him. But Harry backed away.

 

"Don't come any closer, Louis." Harry breathes out. "Not a step closer."

 

The omega felt a static shock go through his chest in an electric strike; breath catching only in the slightest at the raspiness of the growl.

 

"Why?" The boy obeys, keeping his distance but a lump building up in his throat; voice coming out hoarse and isolated.

 

"I don't wish for you to see me." Harry's time was motionless, having no movement across the room. It was small, doubtful. "Not like this."

 

The light emitted a golden haze that seemed to paint a silhouette of its own on the chipping walls. It drew out a boundary line from where both Louis and Harry stood.

 

The King; basked in the darkness of where the glow didn't dare to hit. It was like the sun's illumination at the dawn of day, reaching over the flowered hills but leaving the burrows hidden in a deep black.

 

"Step into the light, Harry," Louis whispered, softly sitting on the ground, keeping his knees against his chest; moving the lantern in front of him and the Alpha. It was like offering a wounded animal a meal, desiring to see them take the first bite.

 

The Omega wore a sheer coating of pale yellows from the flames dancing in the lantern; fueled by drops of raven oil that crackled as the fire swallowed it whole.

 

The Luna held out his hand then, the light following with him; reaching beyond the darkness and consuming the shadows like a dying star devouring its stellar play to cling to its life as long as it could.

 

"Please," Louis keeps his hand extended, desperate and needing. "I.. I want, I need to see you."

 

Then, in that moment, the only sound to be heard was the roaring of the storm and the Alpha King's heartbeat.

 

And underneath the dim, ebony dusk, the flame reflected back at two black lenses; capturing ahold of the glow such as a black hole; hungry for whatever lied stray in its path.

 

"You'll run," Harry's voice is lost in the sea of his own tone, drowning in the deep shallows as he feels his voice breaking.

 

"I can't run when I am already where I want to be," Louis murmurs back, truthfully, always truthfully.

 

Lightning rolled and fell apart in the thick sky, electricity shooting through the clouds in such a fast rage, yet time stood still and so did they. Louis' words were louder, so much more louder; and that is what left a greater impact.

 

Slowly like a predator coming towards its prey, Harry takes the creature's hand in his, feeling the warmth crawl though and under his skin.

 

The air was perfumed with a tense obsession, laying thick and heavy against such delicate hearts that stayed beating to the peals of thunder.

 

Louis felt the tips of his fingers reach towards the cut cheek of the Alpha; brushing locks of burnt sienna away from a rugged and grim complexion.

 

Harry kept his eyes closed, face somehow still hidden in secrecy even as it was bathed in the light of the fire. Yet the Beast leaned into the palm of his Luna's hand, bloodied skin tainting the pale skin.

 

It may have been the illusion of the candlelight as the color of Louis' cheeks flushed a dust of red, eyes trained onto the Alpha; widened and enchanted.

 

"Harry," Louis stutters, eyes widened as he wipes the thin flow of blood that streamed down the corner of the King's mouth with the pad of his thumb, "you-you're bleeding, we need to get help-"

 

"No," Harry opens his eyes, capturing Louis' wrist with the desperation of not letting go. "Don't leave."

 

The Omega feels the Alpha snake his arm around his waist, pulling him in closer into his chest until Harry had his lips against Louis' ear, muttering;

 

"This blood is not mine."

 

Louis freezes, removing his hand from Harry's cheek; trying to pull away only to be gripped harder. It wasn't a grasp that was meant to harm, but a grasp that was meant to stay. "Do not be afraid, not of me."

 

"You killed him," Louis could only manage to make out, timbre going static as he holds onto the hem of Harry's shirt.

 

"I have killed many." The King voice grows silent, almost hesitant, apprehensive.

 

"The man from the night before. The Alpha who touched me." Louis finishes, his arms around Harry's neck as he tilts his head, fear lost in wonderment.

 

And the king then felt it all over again. The rush of it. It came back to him like a lightening strike. Harry didn't dare to flinch as Louis touches the scar that ran up his cheek, just chose to stare, couldn't help to. His eyes remained on the omega, just the omega.

 

"Yes." The Alpha admitted, expression unfaltering. He leaned against the wall, holding the boy close to his body, running finger through feathery hair.

 

"It bothers you," Harry murmurs, watching his Lamb shiver when the cold silver rings press down on his revealed thigh. "It bothers you that he is dead."

 

"I don't want you killing for me," Louis states out from the cracks of stillness; blue eyes dimming as he places a hand on Harry's chest, pushing himself away in disquiet.

 

"I kill for me. Only for me." Harry lowered his gaze and growled out monstrously, the darkness surrounding his eyes flashing to a demonic red as he shifts his position and pushes Louis against the wall.

 

"Show me what you feel when you do," The Omega dares to demand, taking a hold of Harry's hand and guiding it to his neck, watching his king's breath hitch as his throat bobs.

 

And then the right side of his waist was taken captive by Harry's large hand that had fingernail markings engraved on the sides. Louis was shoved and ruthlessly pinned against the barrier embellished with windows that captured the images of the heavy rainfall.

 

Harry watched Louis wince as his back hit the surface roughly, but eyes set still like fireworks of monstrum. The Alpha kept his gaze low, but hands still keeping the boys body raised up with just one hand. He felt his nose sharpen at the familiar smell of sweetness now tart with Louis' bitter eyes.

 

His senses were blurred when faced with the omega, but his wolf teeth and horns seemed to only seemed to grow with a new profound fury.

 

"I could end you like this, you know," Harry whispered, adoring the way his hand looked wrapped around the omega's neck. How the boy gasped for hair and drank up every drop he was offered. Squirming, pleading violently, silently.

 

"And you'll feel it. You'll feel your skin crawling and how each of your nerves unplug as though you were a part of a machine," Harry dared to clutch his fist ever so slightly, soaking in the beautiful cries Louis poured out.

 

"You'll feel a heaviness build up in your chest, your spirit crawl around until it's legs drop. Your heart beating as faster than a dragons, blood running down your veins like thick fire."

 

"It's violent, but if god hasn't made it so delicious, so igniting." But then, as he looks into blue eyes that stare back at him with the same ignition of fire, daring him to go further, daring him to do as promised.

 

Harry watches the Omega's lips, pink and bitten, innocent. He lets go. Stepping back as he looks at his hands with a loathing gaze.

 

"I kill, Louis. That is all there is laying beneath me. I just fucking kill. You can't change that part of me." Harry whispered more to himself than anyone else, falling to his knees once more; bowing to the moonlight.

 

"Why don't you kill me, then?" Louis seemed go crawl closer to Harry, pushing away wild hair away from a scarred face; not flinching away, "Look at me,"

 

"Why do you protect me, Alpha?"

 

The Beast then looks down at his Luna, fingers trailing up and down the base of his neck as he mumbles softly,

 

"I don't want anything to hurt you, Louis." Harry turns away, "But I will."

 

"Does that matter to you, if I get hurt?" Louis asks, taken aback when Harry's eyes darkened, capturing both of the boy's wrists with one hand and pinning them behind the Omega's back.

 

"Nobody will touch you," the Alpha seethes, "May Heaven or Hell help those who take the liberty to do so."

 

Breathless, Louis wets his lips with his heated tongue, cheeks growing red and eyes glassy, looking down shyly, "The night before. Y-You protected me.." a break of silence for only a moment, "you didn't use me."

 

"I want to know why you didn't."

 

"You make me feel something. Something that no dead man can give me." Harry says, smothered with the truth and a panting reality.

 

"Does it scare you?" The Luna asks with blown eyes, watching the King let out a humorless laugh.

 

"You're the poison I choose."

 

"Why did you kill the man, Harry?" Louis questions again, this time demanding the real answer. "Why did you really kill him?"

 

"He hurt you." Harry lowly growled in a whisper, his eyes growing red with each word. "He touched you."

 

Louis then became breathless at that, cheeks flushing a deep shade of pink; the candle light bathing his skin a dusted red. Warmth soaking into the atmosphere once again, the raging Winter Storm holding itself down.

 

"I will sink my teeth in whoever dares to feel you..." Harry's voice was still monstrously deep and lost; but there was the sound of panic in there, the sound of fear.

 

"I know you do not want to be touched by me, and I give you no reason to—"

 

It was silent for a moment before Louis threw his arms around the man's waist and leaned in to a deep embrace.

 

Harry flinched suddenly, his arms still open and eyes widened with surprise as the Omega buried his face into his neck; smiling weakly to himself as he felt strong arms fall heavy on his back.

 

"You wish to turn everyone away," Louis says, shaking his head, wishing to be proved different. "you want everyone to run away from you."

 

"Not everyone..." Harry disagreed softly, his voice delicate. "not you."

 

"You live with ghosts," Louis begins, lips pressing against Harry's temple, watching how the Alpha closes his eyes, letting the warmth of the touch seep in. "perhaps life needs to stop being about just staying alive and more about what you dare to live for."

 

Harry fell to his knees, his eyes still intensely gazing into his queen's, leaning in closer, unable to resist it.

 

"There's something more to you," Louis admits, shivering as his Alpha's warm breath fans over his neck. "And I want to know you. All of you."

 

"Then you must promise me something in return." The Beast's voice dives deeper than before, lifting his face up from his spot on Louis' adam's apple, grim and serious.

 

"Anything." The boy replies, watching how black the reddened areas of Harry's eyes grow.

 

"If you ever wish to run because you are afraid." Harry cupped the Omega's cheek with a broken stare, "You fucking run, as fast as you can."

 

Louis doesn't answer, speechless and unwilling; refusing to say a word.

 

"Promise me," Harry says again, this time tilting his boy's chin up, forcing him to look at the scars upon his face; each holding a story.

 

"I.. I promise." Louis swore with his eyes closed, quiet but understanding.

 

"Then you may ask what you desire," Harry bows his head with his eyes open, the darkness within them fading into a deep sea.

 

"and I will answer."

 

—


	29. Parchment and Wax Seals

_**TWENTY** - **NINE:**_

_Parchment and Wax Seals_

_We will never receive back the love we once gave before. All we have is now._

__

_-_

_Dear Sam,_

_This is my sixteenth letter to you, bastard. Sixteenth. In case if you have been hit with the eggs of a mother Cockatrice, you should know that is more than ten._

_I thought you would start writing back after letter two when I threatened to send over a banshee; but nothing. You have grown some heavy balls, my dear friend._

_The guards tell me you're back to the Lowlands, back home. Harry released you after I agreed to marry him- I didn't know how to react to that, to be honest. But that's the way it always should have been. As long as you're safe with Mother and the girls, I'm safe._

_Why aren't you answering me?_

_Everything here reminds me of you._

_The radiant ballrooms, the small elves with their odd jitters, and the cute blush that that the strawberry baths give out. (That's right, I bathe in strawberries now, I'm a proper bullshit Royal)._

_Hell, while we were starving they were soaking their feet in fresh fruit. It shouldn't be as bitterly funny as it is, really._

_God, I want to come back to you. You've been through so much with me. We wouldn't have been here at all if it wasn't for me, but there you were; standing by my side._

_You give me a reason, something to look forward to. Just the thought of you eating, laughing, breathing freely again makes want to see the sun rise and fall. I want to step into the mud of the Forest again with you, watch your face redden when an Alicorn jots it's nose at you._

_Do you know what chocolate is?_

_I am going to murder the Highlands for not getting me this shit earlier. I am sending you and everyone many care packages, a perk from being married the king perhaps- I will make sure you will get to taste chocolate._

_Please don't eat too much, it apparently can also make holes in your teeth called cavities._

_I finally learned how to sleep without crying. Some nights I couldn't sleep at all. It hurts to breathe and it's terrifying to even think._

_Yet looking forward to dreaming about you and the rest; happy.. It's the most peaceful thought imaginable._

_I learned two things since fate brought me here:_

_1\. Fate is a bitch._

_2\. Time is a bitch._

_Time doesn't stop, even when you close your eyes. Fate keeps on growing stronger with its magnetic poles pulling you in; playing you like you're a game piece in its field. That big old clock will keep on ticking till we die, and life goes on._

_But Sam, I don't want that clock to stop ticking._

_The King, he is not as ruthless as he paints himself out to be. I know he isn't, even though he wants me to see him as the same way as the rest of Stellarum does._

_But there's a spark in those red eyes. One that's filled with happy memories, a lion heart._

_There is a crater in his cheeks that he only shows once in a blue moon, but I am beginning to see it as though it was the sun._

_When he comes near me, I can smell him before I see him. A sweet oak, like the Enchanted Forest. There's something about him that's intoxicating.. and, I think he's beautiful._

_Not beautiful is such a sense of a golden prince. Beautiful in the way he smiles. Rare in the way he laughs. Detailed like the rims of a Dragon's eye._

_I don't know why, everything about him screams at me to run away. The fresh scars on his back should be bone chilling, but why does it make me only more drawn in?_

_His tattoos are his trophies of successful stories, and as soon as I see the ink I want to trace the lines with my fingertips. There's beauty to everything, everything._

_I want to know him, see him. He's stubborn, hard headed, rude, dark, confusing, and- I don't know why those are all the things I like. They're real. They're raw._

_His sentences are riddles.. complex. Everything he is, is so complicated. But I don't think I want anything less.. just more. I don't know what to think anymore. I can't think around him, he's stronger than alcohol._

_He will tell me stories, ones to allow me to know him. Because for the first time, I want to understand him._

_Tell the others not to worry about me. I think I am alright. I think I'll be okay. I truly believe I will be okay._

_Yet I'm damned for sure, my friend._

_But I also learned one more thing since I have been at the castle:_

_Sometimes hitting the absolute low point of your life isn't as terrible as they tell you it is. Because there is only one way now to go, and that is up._

_I miss you like hell._

_The blue in your eyes still are my skies, the dirt in your hair is still my earth, and the tears that fall are still my autumn leaves. You're my brother. I need you._

_(Shit, I'm a proper literate poet now. If I ever use the word 'Nonetheless', it's too late. I have transformed to a full-on dick.)_

_Please write back soon._

_Please._

_I love you till word's end,_

_\- Louis_

_—_

**_LOUIS_** _**ALLOWED**_ **_T_** he hot, golden wax to pour over the seam of the envelope; spreading onto thick parchment and glimmering under the bright torch light.

 

He stamps it down with the engraving of the Kingdom's symbol, an everlasting crown engulfed in the sun; the power source of all magic.

 

As the wax hardens, Louis lifts the imprint and stands; smiling briefly and brushing his thumb against the words "For Sam".

 

"All done, my Luna?" The Beta guard speaks up, taking the Omega out of his trance.

 

Louis nods nervously, the sun that peeked through velvet curtain danced on the apples of his cheeks, "Yes, sorry if I made you wait long,"

 

"It is no issue,I will have your letter delivered through the post immediately." The Beta bowed his head, his voice a little wavering as he held on to the epistle.

 

The boy packed up the stationary under the cupboard of the castle's office; Careful not to spill any ebony ink or break his quill, Louis looked back at the guard with a blushing hastiness.

 

"I would also... like to be escorted to the Locus," The Omega hesitatingly spoke, feeling bashful as he shifted his feet anxiously. "I'd like to meet with my Alpha. I have a rendezvous, you could say."

 

As Winter melts away like sugar, leaving a sticky and sweet mess after the Storms; The song of the Spring blew away any residue. A fun absence in the leaves roamed through the cracks of garden walls and into the Lowlands.

 

Louis' mind was manifested by the feelings of a thousand ladybirds being let go within him. The slight buzzing of warmth on his lips as he thinks about having a modus vivendi with the Alpha.

 

The Beta appeared grim, his expression disagreeing as he bows his head once more before saying, "I am afraid I cannot allow that, Luna."

 

Louis furrowed his eyebrows, feeling his heart drop a little in confusion mixed with dismay.

 

"Why not?" He asks, voice defensive and disaffiliated; hugging his arms around his body to avoid him sounding too disappointed.

 

The Guard paused for a moment, seeming doubtful to continue but obliging when the blue eyes gaze seemed to be all too curious and overpowering.

 

With silence keeping the boy on a thin line, the Beta looked up and said with a deep caution;

 

"The King has gone into the libidine state. And our Sire has issued a demand,"

 

Louis' eyes widened and body froze as the statement fell, clutching the desk behind him. The Omega looked down, not expecting the next words to come out of the Beta's mouth:

 

"To refuse having you near him during his rut."

_—_


End file.
